The Boundary Effect
by Touhoufanatic
Summary: 2137 When an Alliance exploration ship is fired upon by a Turian cruiser, it shall unleash them upon the galaxy, and the Galaxy is not ready for their power, their abilities, or their lack of common sense! Human/Youkai/Lunarian Alliance. Mass EffectXTouhou Crossover AU. Too many characters to write. Please enjoy and review. update delayed due to writers block.
1. CH1 First Contact

**1884 -** A ten kilometer square area of northern japan simply ceases to exist, becoming rolling hills where once a thriving village stood. Gensokyo* is created and is separate from the rest of the world in nearly all senses.

 **1936 -** By this time Youkai* sightings outside of Gensokyo have dropped more than 1000%. Magic has been lost to all but 0.0000001% of human population outside of Gensokyo. Magic and species other than human are completely considered fiction.

 **2009 -** Yukari Yakumo*, Begins meeting key figures, both from the Lunarians* on their Capitol of Luna, Prominent Youkai leaders, and Human leaders from dozens upon dozens of countries outside of Gensokyo. Those who do not know what is going on become nervous in Gensokyo.

 **2023 -** The Hakurei border* breaks apart suddenly dropping Gensokyo back into the real world, and releasing absorbed magic back into it. Chaos ensues for a time as humanity discerns the reasons for this and deals with the sudden re-emergence of Youkai, the creatures of myth and story.

 **2024 -** Yukari Yakumo, along with the leaders of Luna, and prominent Youkai leaders meet with nations of the world at a UN Meeting, and explain what Gensokyo's release could mean for the world. After nearly three months of meetings and debates, an unsteady alliance is formed.

A year later as the alliance become far more comfortable with itself, it is realigned and reorganized, changing its name from the Tri-racial earth alliance, to simply the Alliance*.

 **2026 – 2103 -** A time of cultural, Scientific and arcane Renewal comes. With access to magic and Lunarian science, Human technology takes off. Luna and Gensokyo also profit due to Humanities Technology, and its production capabilities and ample resources in compare to Luna. Humanity, Youkai and Luna, despite many Terrorist attacks and problems, become closer, and hate and anger between all groups falls considerably during this time. it becomes known that humans can become Youkai by association to magic, and it legislation is drafted to guarantee the rights of such people.

During this time the alliance begins work on Spacefaring projects, pushing into the asteroid belt for mining of heavy metals, and proving that the combination of Lunarian science, human ingenuity and magic can work in harmony.

A Lunarian Spaceship engine is redesigned by a group of Magicians and human scientists and turns out to be over 100X more effective in generating power that can be used for technology of magical purposes. Lunarian Scientists are annoyed, but respect the work and agree upon it replacing old style engines one they confirm its safety and viability. It is then given the name, a MAGTECH Reactor*.

Alongside the MAGTECH Reactor, a Lunarian and Youkai research group devises a way to traverse greater distances in space in the blink of an eye. By working with the boundary principle* and the power granted by the MAGTECH Reactor, they manage a 'boundary slip*' moving their test ship from Luna to Pluto in a total of seven seconds. They name their creation a BOUNDARY DRIVE* and it's testing goes well, and even better when working in tandem with a MAGTECH Reactor.

Cooperation in the fields of biology and medicine devise work around's for humanities frail biology. Alteration to the genome and DNA/RNA Helix's allowed implanting of some very small Lunarian and Youkai Genome fragments. The result is a greatly enhanced human lifespan and limited boost to natural regeneration. The human lifespan is increased sevenfold, and wounds heal faster, and some small loss of extremities can be regenerated (IE – Toes, fingers. sometimes hands and feet.)

Gensokyo's combat rules (Collectively called the Spellcard rules*) are accepted by much of the planet as an alternative to deadly combat, allowing problems to be still dealt with violence, but with little to no life lost.

 **2106 -** With the advances in technology, magic and medicine it becomes clear that overpopulation is becoming a more present danger than the small amount of violence that till shows on earth. Plans to Terraform mars are drafted, and the project is set into motion in the same year due to Lunarian tech and zealous Human Aggression to get it done.

 **2107 -** Mars terraforming project is complete. It now has a fully breathable atmosphere and many small plants are growing in abundance. It is figured that larger plants and animals will be safely able to be planted on the planet within a year, and that crops could be planted and farmed in as little as two without too much worry of the new biosphere.

Alliance Racial work is perfectly completed, and there is little to no direct animosity between species. All species are considered mostly equal, if skilled at different things in general.

 **2114 -** Space stations are built across the solar system around Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn, acting as both trade and mining hubs where resources are gatherers, stores, and in some case processing facilities. These massively boost earth and Luna's Resources and balances the increasing demand.

An expedition on mars discovers ruins that are not Lunarian, and do not match any information from Lunarian Databanks. The ruins are fully excavated later that year and the archives within tapped. Information about a race called, Protheans*, and an element they used Called Element Zero* is revealed to the public. The amount of Element zero in its stores however is pitifully small. The alliance considers Element Zero and Prothean technology interesting, but not more efficient or better than their own technology in any way , but decide to look into the technology to the best of their ability, just in case it can be utilized in some way, even if minor.

 **2115 -** Following data from the Prothean Archive, An Alliance Science ship fired a hollow point round, containing the alliances remaining one kilogram of Element zero alongside one of the last existing Nuclear armaments into Charon, Pluto's moon, releasing a dormant Mass relay from its icy casing and reactivating it. In the next week the same ship goes through, and discovers how the mass relay network works, returning the information to the alliance. Plans are drafted by the Alliance to utilize this network alongside Boundary Slips to speed up exploration of the galaxy and to speed up colonization of other planets.

The possibility that the Mass relays are Prothean Made is dismissed by most scientific minds in the Alliance, and it is decide that while the mass relays could be utilized more, that overusing or becoming dependent on them should not be allowed. Once a planetary system is found and mapped, travel to it is primarily done by Boundary Slips, not the relays. Some Alliance Scientists try to devise a way to destroy or, permanently deactivate Relays if the need arises.

 **2116 -** Three colonies are founded in distant systems, and their population explodes due to Effective Terraforming. Two of these colony systems were found Via Relay, and one by Boundary slip and Careful mathematical probability crunching.

With Colonization started, the alliance Heads decide that keeping their people safe in case of danger is paramount, and R&D begins research on weaponizing Technology and magic for use on ships, as Regular Solid munitions are collectively considered a bad idea due to the zero gravity of space, and simply a waste of metal resources. The process is fast due to the adaptability of Magic as a weapon and Technological advances in past years.

Within the next ten years, another seven Planets are terraformed and Colonized. Four by Boundary Slip, and three by Relay.

The Alliance forms its own united military and navy alongside the weaponization of magic and technology in the event of violent encounters in space. Enrollment in this militia is widespread and well respected, the alliance offering training, and ever the cost of secondary educations as a seemingly unneeded incentive. Many major Youkai are part of the alliance military due to their power and capabilities.

 **2123 -** The colony of Shanxi is founded after being discovered by Relay Exploration. Colonisation takes place quickly due to Shanxi's natural Green world status.

 **2137 -** Exploration ships, sidelined a couple years before due to excessive expansion and Trade route complications, are allowed back to exploring. An Exploration vessel called the 'Dawnseeker' leaves the Shanxi system by Relay and attempts to activate a dormant relay two systems over.

First contact with an alien race occurs - - - -

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"Dammit, why are they firing on us? They don't even know who we are!" A young girl roared in annoyance as she scowled at the Alien ship on the screen before her. The bride of the Dawnseeker was abuzz with activity, and not just because nearly everyone in the bridge had wings.

A shock went through the ship, causing those in chairs or on the floor to shift a bit. Those floating in the air were unaffected, but still knew it was going on as the shock vibrated through the air.

"Ugh, Damage report please!" The captain called out, her head of short green hair carefully cut and unmoving, unlike her heart as it beat faster and faster, or her wings that kept a steady balanced beat to keep her aloft.

"Our Shielding has taken the brunt of the hits, it's at 42 percent now Dai!"

Daiyousei scowled at that number. Their Astral Shielding was meant to block astral debris, not combat grade weapons. Either it was stronger than it seemed, or the attacking aliens weapons were not as powerful as they expected alien weapons could be. 42 Percent was still really bad though, and they had only take two hits so far, the others flying past them off into the black void of space. "That's bad. How's our Hull integrity?"

" Hull integrity is still full! Our shielding hasn't let anything through!" a pink haired fairy, who happened to be floating upside down above Daiyousei, called as she poked at a pair of screens that constantly floated in front of her, projected from the metal headband she wore.

"Well that's something then. How soon can we Jump back to Shanxi?" Daiyousei asked earnestly.

"We should be able to in just a-"

Suddenly a massive crash echoed through the shop, just as alarms began blaring dully in the bridge.

"What happened?!" Daiyousei asked as Fairies that hadn't been floating around climbed up off the ground and began hovering to stop them from falling over again.

"We took two simultaneous hits! Shields are down; Hull integrity is also down to 73%. The MAGTECH Drive seems to have been damaged by the shot though. It's stable, but its power output has dropped down to 23%!"

"How much do we need for the jump again?" Daiyousei asked hopefully.

"Thirty to jump safely, twenty seven to jump unsafely!" a Fairy called out in anger, taking it out on her screens until they cracked and disappear; only to reappear a second later, angering her even further.

Daiyousei sighed as she looked at her screen. If they could not jump normally, they'd have to use the relay they came into the system with, but it was too far away from them to reach. The outcome was clear. "Everyone on board is tethered to New Eden*, correct?"

There was a murmur of agreement from the bridge.

"Good. It looks like the Dawnseeker is going down. "As per protocol, prep the MAGTECH Drive for critical meltdown." Daiyousei said with a small smile. "I'll see you all on New Eden, right after I get chewed out for getting a ship blown up!"

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"Rrr, Dam that ship, take it out already!" Virek Cathris, Captain of the Turian Cruiser, Hunters Pride, called out as his ship continued to purse the alien craft. It didn't match any other ship on record, so it was probably a new species or a new Batarian design. The fact of the matter however was that it tried to activate a dormant relay, something completely against the law. Activation of relays was illegal, and the response was written very clearly in the rules. Contact and order them to stand down. if they did not, destroy them. And the ship in question had ignored their hail, so now they were attempting to destroy them.

Unfortunately, the ship in question was not making things easy. In addition to being barely a hundred meters in size, it was wickedly fast, and turned at angles and speeds that would shear any other ship in half. It was strange, especially since the two shots that had hit it so far, seemed to have been stopped by a shield, but it rippled a green color when struck, not the usual blue of a kinetic barrier.

"Sir, our scans of the ship has finally come back!" An officer called out.

"Finally! What can you tell me about it? It's obviously not Batarian."

"No sir. It does not math any ship design on record, it's simply too small. Its Shields are releasing an energy we've never encountered before, as is the whole ship, and there is no mass effect field around it. The entire ship is devoid of element zero!"

Virek stopped for half a second as he considered this information. A ship so small would not need Element Zero to get it off the ground in all likelihood. However the speed that it moved at, along with how quickly it could bank and turn . . . just how powerful was its engine to give it so much power? "These primitives do not understand the use of element Zero and have violated Citadel law. Realign both main guns and fire at the ship again!"

"Yes sir, firing!"

Virek watched as she slugs traveled toward the Alien ship, and struck it dead on. Unlike before, there was no flicker of green, and the ship shuddered, twisting and slowing considerably from the looks of how it now moved.

"Sir, scanners indicate the alien ship has lost nearly 80% of its previous power output, I believe we struck their engine.

Virek smiled as an idea went into his head, it wasn't a normal Turian Directive, but was far more likely to be looked upon well in the long run. "Good. Hold fire and move us in. We shall board the ship and take these Aliens Prisoner. We can show them how they should be acting and get information on their world from them to-"

Then The Alien ship blew up. It wasn't a small explosion either, as the entire ship was just suddenly consumed in a massive blast that refracted itself in every color, before it just as quickly disappeared, leaving nothing behind at all where it once floated.

"Spirits, did we make them go critical, or did they do it themselves?" one Turian asked, yet no one knew the answer.

"Dam. Move us in. we should at least see if we can get anything, wreckage fragments, or even a scan of what energy remains. The Hierarchy will not like this!"

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CODEX

 **Gensokyo –** The name given unto the ten kilometer square area of japan that disappeared in 1884, Gensokyo existed on its own as the land of fantasy until the border around it broke. Because of this it had no contact with the outside world during this time, and while technology did not advance, magic did.

 **Youkai –** Supernatural Beings that exist in legend, myth or folklore. Youkai existed all across the world for much of history, but as magic dwindled so did they. When the Border of Gensokyo broke, magic was re-released, and Youkai (many who lived as humans and did not even know they were youkai) came back into the public eye. Nearly all magical creatures that are not classified otherwise are considered youkai, and humans enhances and changed by magic are also considered youkai.

 **Yukari Yakumo –** Known by many names, the most well-known one being the Border of Phantasm, she is a supremely powerful Youkai from Gensokyo. She both assisted in the creation, and destruction of the Hakurei Border That held Gensokyo apart from the rest of the world and is considered to be a master schemer, and obscenely powerful. She acts as the Alliances Youkai head.

 **The Hakurei Border –** a Great Magical Boundary that once separated Gensokyo and the rest of earth. It was held up by the Hakurei Miko, one who was in each generation, considered to be one of the most powerful humans in Gensokyo able to take on nearly any Youkai that would endanger Gensokyo. with the Border gone, the Hakurei Now exist as High ranking Special operations forces with the Alliance military, focusing on Defensive operations.

 **Lunarian –** The native inhabitant of Earth's moon, Luna. Lunarian's outwardly look human, but have a natural lifespan far greater than past humans did, Some considering them all(wrongly) to be immortal. Lunarian Technology has long been far more advanced than anything humans could create, but the limited resources of Luna, along with a historically isolationist attitude led to the limiting of their peoples and an inability to expand without assistance. Their old isolationist attitudes are gone now with their joining of the alliance. A Race of Rabbit people have live on Luna alongside them since time immemorial.

 **The Alliance –** originally called the Tri-racial earth alliance, it began as a simple alliance of nations and changed over time into a combined governing body of all three groups. Simply called the alliance, it is the total and complete government of earth, Luna, and all their colonies and peoples. it is run by three heads, one Lunarian, one Youkai, and one human, so as to have a perfectly neutral view.

 **MAGTECH Reactor –** A Blend of Magical Synapses, Circles, and machinery, combined with Lunarian Generator tech, the MAGTECH Reactor generates phenomenal amounts of power continually. This power is both magical attuned, and electrically charged, allowing it to be use to power technology both scientific and magical in nature. The Rector once activated cannot be shut off and creates power constantly without the need for fuel or additives, but this also means that it cannot be shut off, and Reactors that are damaged must be ejected and destroyed a safe distance away and replaced instead of repaired. MAGTECH Reactors take anywhere from a couple hours with one high ranked Magician*, to an entire week with an entire conclave of magicians to bring them online.

 **Magician –** A Human, or Youkai, who has become so attuned with magic that it seeps into their very being, enhancing their prowess with magic, and their lifespan substantially. Many magicians are researchers, technicians, engineers or scientists, but some also are supremely powerful in combat as well.

 **Boundary Drive –** The Boundary Drive is an advanced piece of Equipment that plots a course through the boundary between real and non-existent space, creating a sort of gateway into a tube of nonexistence between two points. Based of Yukari Yakumo's own ability to manipulate such boundaries, it is simple in comparison to her capabilities, but is a safe, if power-hungry form of travel. Without the MAGTECH Reactors, it would be nearly impossible to power them, and if power somehow ran out midslip, the ship would cease existing and never be heard from again.

 **Boundary Slip –** The term for a ship of any size activating their Boundary Drive and Slipping, out of real space into nonexistence, or from nonexistence to real space. A Ship in nonexistence does not exist in the material universe, and cannot be scanned, located or even noticed until it comes out of its Boundary Slip.

 **Spellcard Rules –** A Form of Magical Temporary contract that inhibits both sides from using power that would deal lethal damage, and protects the environment from collateral damage. In Gensokyo it meant the classification and rules around using Spellcards*, but has changed as the world has.

 **Spellcard –** A Spellcard is a form of Condensed magic or capabilities that allows the casting of powerful, lengthy or otherwise difficult spells and powers in a shortened timeframe. While connected to the Spellcard rules, they do not have to be used in conjunction with the Spellcard rules. Spellcards must be prepared ahead of time, though once prepared they can be used many times before they must be prepared again.

 **Prothean –** A race of aliens that supposedly existed many millions of years before that appeared to have disappeared. Their technology was based on Mass Effect fields primarily, and as such, holds little worth to the Alliance.

 **Fairy's –** Fairies are a youkai species that are elemental, and connected to a place. As long as that place in nature, or civilization, stays healthy and whole, the Fairy will reincarnate infinity; and cannot be killed. When fairies are killed in space, their bodies burn apart, and they reincarnate within the next 24 hours. Fairies can change what place they are tethered to (and what planet) by preforming a special ritual that they instinctually know when they are born. Fairies were once considered to be the weakest youkai, but their inability to truly die makes them well respected, especially as scouts in space, and stewards of the lands on planets.

 **New Eden –** a large green world that colonized more rapidly than others due to its calm and pleasant atmosphere and lack of dangerous wildlife. New Eden has become the de facto capitol of Fairy's, many having come from planets to settle there, and becoming home to many newly 'born' fairies as well once colonization took place. Because of how many fairies join the military as scouts, it is the centre of The Alliances' Exploration teams and contains a small shipyard that builds and maintains such craft. It is a beautiful world of green rolling hills and cities so spread out that it is difficult to tell if cities end, or if they are encircling forests and lands. The answer is in a way, both.

 **Turian –** A race of Avian Descent Bipedal aliens, hailing from the Planet Palaven. Turians Are Dextro-Amino, meaning they cannot eat the same food as many other species. Their bodies are covered in plating that evolved to protect them from the harsh radiation of their home star. Their culture is very military, with military service being standard for all people, making them a very strict race. A Turian that cannot obey its superiors is looked down on, and only by following the rules can any Turian raise up their meritocratic government.

 **Authors note – Had this idea floating around in my head and finally just couldn't stand not doing anything with it. I hope people like it, if so; I'll definitely continue writing it. Though updates would be irregular in all likelihood.**

 **So yeah, if you like it, please say so. I hope you like the idea!**


	2. CH2 Preperation

**Authors note: Whoa, big response in a short time, I'll take that as a good omen!**

 **No Turians this chapter, but when they appear next chapter it will set things truly in motion, and hopefully put to rest some peoples worries.**

 **Please remember that the story is set nearly 150 years after the games and is AU, some character change over time, though their base character will be kept as similar as possible.**

 **Also, the Codex at the chapter end does not contain all the codex'd *'s in this chapter, only because it feels like the codex will become longer than the chapter itself of they were all there (I either need to spread them out over chapters, or Codex less things). The Codex's from this chapter will continue in the next, as there should be far fewer Codex needed entries in the next chapter.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **Edit: Fixed some errors and made the class's in the codex more balanced and sensible.**

Captain Daiyousei walked into the Communications centre of New Eden's Alliance Command centre. Since New Eden was the centre of Alliance Exploration and reconnaissance, it made sense to have a command centre here, and it was a massive, yet simple building. Dozens of consoles ran the halls length in rows, allowing any captain or crew member of any scout ship to find out what their current or upcoming orders would be, and at the back of the room tucked into a recessed back room was a large HoloComm device*, for when orders were more formal or important. At the sides of the hall were various sitting areas, small café's and even some sleeping areas and simulator rooms, meaning the more reclusive fairies could stick around to receive orders, and didn't need to be seen outside as often.

"So, heard you blew up another Ship, Dai!"

Daiyousei turned to the energetic and familiar voice to see its owner walk up to and beside her. Daiyousei slowed her pace a bit in turn, not wanting to get to the HoloComm room anytime soon.

The owner of the voice was a fairy named Cirno, an Ice Fairy who historically, and still, had far more power at her fingertips than most fairies could even dream of commanding. It gave her a very forward and arrogant attitude, but because Fairy's could not die and she was so strong compared to others, her arrogance was often rewarded in some way or another. She had a head of short, messy ice blue hair, and the six icicles that acted as her wings twitched behind her as she walked. Fairies did not age over time like other beings; instead they could choose how old they looked, though it was limited by their life experiences. When Cirno had joined the alliance military, she had taken a form that changed her from looking like a young, nine year old girl, to one who was fifteen or sixteen. She was quite a bit taller, had slight curves to her hips, waist and chest, and looked decently mature. She had to be as a captain, though she was still a fairy and far more free spirited and random than non-fairy's, making her still seem childish, as she occasionally was.

Like Cirno, Daiyousei had made her body look older as well, around the same age as Cirno. It was a common age look for fairy's in the alliance, both because it allowed them to operate the consoles and machines without a problem, and because it made them stick out slightly less. Dai had a similar body shape to Cirno except for the fact that her bust was a size larger than Cirno's. It didn't show in regular clothing, but in her Uniform it became abundantly clear.

The alliance was rather loose about Uniform regulations. As long as they told a person's rank and did not look too terrible or get in the way, anything went really. As such most fairies went for a more casual, yet still formal looking uniform. a Knee length skirt, boots that went halfway up to their knees, a simple shirt and a uniform jacket, sometimes with full length sleeves, and all usually in a color pattern that they enjoyed was a common look for fairy's. Cirno's uniform was white with dark blue trim, and Daiyousei's light blue with green trim.

"I didn't blow up a ship," Daiyousei responded with a sigh. she had after all, been getting that question for hours on the way over from her area of the forest a half day away from New Eden's capitol. "It was blown up by an unknown ship; by aliens that attacked us out of nowhere."

"Drat, I was betting Rumia that you got blown up on an asteroid again for the fifth time. Guess I owe her lunch." Cirno replied with a chuckle and a smile. Death was often a fun idea to fairy's, when compared to how other races viewed it. They did after all; resurrect infinitely so death was more of a short rest, a waste of time, or a proof that they did something fun or stupid. Often both.

"I've only had that happen twice!" Daiyousei said with a scowl as she looked away from Cirno for but a second. "I need to head to the HoloComm room to give my report."

"Me too! I got the call a couple minutes ago to meet them with you. Maybe it's to go take on those aliens, because I'm that AWESOME!"

Daiyousei let out a sigh as they entered the HoloComm room, the door closing behind them. As it did, the circular table like Projector lit up, showing not one, but all three of the Heads of the Alliance!

On the left was the Youkai head of the Alliance, Yukari Yakumo. She was a powerful youkai, one who Cirno had sparred with in the past and actually won against (though Daiyousei swore that Yukari must have gone easy on her). Yukari wore a uniform that was form fitting. A long skirt with slits down the sides of it showing off small bits of her legs, long boots, and a jacket with long sleeves and a tight collar, all the color of a dark amethyst. Her face was playfully calm, but history told both of them that it hid a dark and manipulative personality that few could match.

On the right stood the Lunarian Head of the alliance, the one who had the most anger over her initial placement as a Head, Kaguya Houraisan. As the exiled princess of the moon that Lina had lost track of, they took great pride in finding her again when the alliance was formed. It was argued for many years what would be done with her, but Yukari and Kaguya's aide, Eirin Yagokoro, spoke up and made many things clear to them. Though still stripped of her royal status on Luna, she became the Lunarian Head of the alliance, both because she did have the intellect for it, even if she didn't act like it in the past, and because she was one of the few Lunarian's truly immortal. She could hold her position indefinitely. She wore a dress similar to those she wore in Gensokyo, though it was far more formal. Most people would describe her as lazy, and her tone of speech and disposition made that clear, but she had a very intelligent mind, and with Eirin as her aide, was well informed of goings on within the alliance.

Finally, standing between the two most powerful women of the alliance, was the Human Head of the alliance, Andrew Hackett. A military man , he enrolled in the alliance military during its formation, and gained ranks and respect by the way he treated all equally, and the cool discerning eyes he used to look at all things. After completely wiping out one of the few historical terrorist groups without taking a single loss of manpower, all the military leaders banded together and voted for him to become the next Head of the alliance. He took the job from his predecessor with little pomp, focusing instead on his new work. A couple years later he had become a Youkai due to an accident in an R&D laboratory he was visiting, but he refused to step down, saying that he was voted on as the Human head of the alliance, and he was going to do the job as long as his health would allow. He wore a full military style suit of all white and silver, making him look the most formal and imposing out of all three of them, despite being the weakest in individual power.

Each head of the alliance specialized in one field or the other. Kaguya specialized in research and development, Yukari on information manipulation, and Hackett in military training and laws. To say that they could do nothing else however would be a fallacy, as each of them were skilled in other fields and could assist in nearly any other place their skills or touches were needed. They were without a doubt, the three most politically powerful people in the Alliance, deciding the laws, directions and lifestyles of their entire peoples.

And they had appeared before Daiyousei and Cirno to speak with them directly through the HoloComm.

"Good afternoon captains; and thank you for coming." Yukari said with a soft smile. "We have much to discuss."

"Y-yes. And I apologize for being so late to come here, Sir, madams!" Daiyousei said with a nervous stammer.

"Eh, no biggie. I was in no rush." Kaguya said simply, causing Hackett to turn to her and shake his head slightly in disapproval of her laid back attitude.

"Captain Cirno, we shall get to your reason for being here in a few minutes. We must debrief and hear Captain Daiyousei's report of what happened, and figured you would be interested in it as well. Is that alright with you?" he asked sternly.

"Yeah, that's fine. I want to hear what the aliens look like!" Cirno replied, making all three heads look to each other and then to Daiyousei.

"Then let us Begin, Captain Daiyousei, please begin your report on what happened with as much detail as possible." Yukari asked calmly with a warm smile that made everyone in the room shiver.

"O-of course." Daiyousei said as she stepped forward and tapped on the HoloComm's Console, bringing up a star map that zoomed in on a small cluster of systems. "My ship, the Exploration Class corvette* Dawnseeker, Went through the Relay in the Shanxi system to scout and map the Relay junctions outside of it, and in nearby systems. After moving though Relays twice we came into a yet unmapped system and began mapping it. After a couple hours of mapping our scanners located an adjacent system with another Relay and we moved to that system, mapped it, and then approached the Relay in question. When we approached it, our scanners discovered another ship in the system. It immediately began moving toward our location, and when it got closer to us, it opened fire on us."

"They did not attempt to hail you?" Yukari asked inquisitively.

"Our comms did not pick up any attempt to hail us. They just attacked. When the first attack struck us I ordered us to turn and move away from them to safely prepare the Boundary Drive. A second attack struck us as the drive was charging, and then two more simultaneous attacks hit us, breaking the Dawnseekers shields and crippling our Reactor. It was damaged to an extent that stopped us from using the boundary drive, and we could not slip back to system or use the Relay closest to us. So as per protocol* we pushed the Core Critical and destroyed the ship."

The room was quiet for a few seconds as the Heads appeared to be considering the information.

"Four hits to cripple your ship then." Hackett stated wryly. "How much damage did the first two hits do?"

"Dropped our shields down to, uh, 43 percent I think it was?" Daiyousei answered uncertainly.

"Hmm, so nearly thirty percent of shielding drained per shot." Hackett muttered to himself before looking back up at Daiyousei. "Can you tell us anything about the alien's ship? Its design, weaponry, power source?"

"Um, yes." Daiyousei stammered as she swallowed and tried to compose herself. "We didn't get scans of their ship, and they would be gone if we had, but I recall that the ship kind of looked like an arrowhead, or maybe a bird. It was about the size of a light cruiser and it had angled wings coming off of it."

"Large wings or small wings?" Kaguya asked suddenly.

"Um, more mid-sized I think."

"So it's possible the ship in question was designed to enter atmosphere then." Kaguya said with a nod as Yukari smiled.

"What about their weapons? What did they fire at you, lasers*, beams*, magic*?"

"Um … I think the rounds were kinetic shells or slugs, but I'm not sure which."

All three heads look at each other with surprise.

"Kinetic*, you are sure?" Hackett asked carefully.

"Yes. When the shielding broke the entire ship shuddered from the hit and many of my crew were knocked from their feet. Those that were on their feet I mean. There was also a terrible crashing sound. So I'm mostly sure they were kinetic."

Yukari let out a chuckle and smiled. "Thank you Captain, this will help us greatly in the days to come. The situation is clear; this unknown race has declared war on the alliance by attacking the Dawnseeker. We will be sending out an order that all Exploration and scout ships shall be switched out from exploration class corvette's to Field rabbit class* light cruisers*. Please make sure your crew understands this and gets the basic training simulator done as quickly as possible. The cruisers are already being manufactured on New Eden, so when each crew has complete the upgraded training, we'll have orders for them."

"Understood!" Daiyousei said with a salute.

"Good, you are dismissed while we speak with captain Cirno." Yukari said with a light wave of her hand.

Daiyousei took it with a bow, took a couple steps backwards, turned and left the HoloComm room, leaving Cirno alone with the Heads of the Alliance. The heads seemed to look at each other and mumble under their breath for a few seconds, until Hackett looked straight at Cirno and gestured for her to step forward. "Captain Cirno, what are your thoughts on Daiyousei's information?"

"These aliens are assholes! Dai was Captaining a corvette, our smallest ship class, and they fired on her as if it was nothing. They are bully's that pick on the weak and I want to show them what happens when they do!"

"Excellent!" Yukari exclaimed with a clap of her hands. "Do you recall what title and rank you hold besides Captain?"

"Operative!*" Cirno said clearly, her expression cool, strong, and excited.

"yeah. Since the Alliance's founding, our operatives, while many, have had little to do besides helping deal with the past terrorists. With war on the horizon, that changes." Kaguya stated with a yawn.

"R&D has recently completed a new ship Type and transferred one of the three prototypes to New Eden for testing. The Danmaku Class Interceptor*. It's barely twice the size of a fighter craft, and equipped with its own Boundary drive and enough weapons to take on a light cruiser on its own if handled well." Hackett said with a smirk.

"If you are willing to, we have a missing for you, operative Cirno." Yukari said elegantly.

"Is it to make those aliens pay for attacking Dai?"

"In a sense, yes. The other two prototypes proved highly effective in trails, so if this one is destroyed it matters little to R&D. what we need is information on these aliens before they make it to an alliance planet. We need information on their technology base, on their looks, and their capabilities."

"We want you to take the interceptor to the System Captain Daiyousei was attacked in. your mission will be simple, find the aliens ship, and get as much information about it as you can. Weapon range, type, firing speed, their armour and protection systems, what these aliens look like, what their personal weapons are like. We want all the information you can acquire!" Hackett added to Yukari's words.

Cirno thought to herself for a moment before nodding. "Understood . . . to see what they look like though, I'd need to get on their ship, right?"

"That is the plan." Kaguya said, her grin turning vindictive as she spoke. "Strike their ship, act like you've been disabled after a while, and try to get captured. Then you can terrorize them from within their own ship! They attacked an unarmed scouting vessel, so they should be aware that retaliation is more than just a possibility."

"Indeed. How you do this mission is ultimately up to you, but as a fairy, your mission will only be complete when you die and return to us with the information. Do not get captured! The aliens will not suspect the information you gain coming back to us if you 'die' before them, and you will have your chance to get revenge for your friend, and prove how strong you are to them!" Yukari stated with a smirk.

"Mission accepted, when do I leave?" Cirno replied instantly.

"The Simulator room should have its flight controls already installed. Run a couple Sims for it so you know how to control it, then you can leave when ready." Kaguya said dismissively.

"You will need a piloting score on the simulator of seventy before you will be allowed to leave. I suggest doing a couple Sims then taking a break and repeating until you get the required score." Hackett added. "Once you do, take a good long rest and prepare yourself with combat gear before you leave. But do not, I repeat, NOT bring any firearms with you! We do not want them understanding our technology, so neither tech on your person, or the interceptor can be left intact, understood?"

"Yep, I don't need guns anyway! Cirno replied with a huge arrogant smile.

"Good, you have your mission, dismissed."

Cirno saluted half-heartedly and turned to run out of the HoloComm room. Each head then pressed a button on each of their individual consoles, cutting their connection to New Eden, but keeping the Connection s to each other fully open.

"So, the die is cast." Hackett said after a brief silence.

"Yes, war is coming; I just hope we are ready." Kaguya stated with a sigh.

"I'm sure we will be. There has been no war among our people in over a century, but the Spellcard Rules keep our people sharp in every meaning of the word!" Yukari Gloated.

"Be that as it may, most of our combat ready fleets exist only on paper." Hackett reminded. "The Capitol Ships are off doing their captains biddings. We'll need to call all ships back to their ports and reorganize all of our fleets. We'll also need to organize and prepare all our ground forces, our special forces, inform all operatives of the situation and tell the public this is happening. It is going to get busy, quickly."

"I agree, ugh, so much work." Kaguya said with another sigh. "What about Shanxi though?" she asked as she brought up a map of their systems and which ones had relays connecting to where. "The system Daiyousei was engaged in is only two Relay jumps away from the Shanxi system. It will be the first place the Aliens find if they figure out where we are from."

"I agree; it will need to be defended." Yukari said with a warm, almost caring tone.

"You sound like that's already taken care of." Hackett said wryly.

"Hardly, but there are many powerful people on Shanxi at the moment, including three Operatives. Two are rank S* and one is rank A.

"And their Classes*?"

" . . . . The two are class 3, the rank A is class 2.

Hackett let out a sigh. "Who are they?"

"Rank S class 3 operative Yuuka Kazami is on Shanxi assisting with its agricultural development. Rank S Class 3 operative Flandre Scarlet is there at the Scarlet Families summer home. Rank A Class 2 operative Keine Kamishirasawa is on Shanxi helping strengthen its education system."

"So we have powerful operatives on the ground, but none of them are perfect for defending a planet. Keine comes close, but she will have difficulty commanding an army and protecting the people around her." Kaguya said with a knowing tone. "We'll need to prepare both Orbital forces and ground forces in case Shanxi comes under siege. What fleets and troops do we send? Who do we send to lead them?"

Silence reigned over their Comms for many moments until Yukari cracked a smile, attracting Hackett and Kaguya's gazes. "For the orbital fleet, why not send the Second Fleet, and have the Mage Fleet merge with and lead it!"

Hackett stroke his beard for a second and nodded. "The second Fleet is primarily Heavy and Light Cruisers with heavy Transport ships. The Mage Fleet would be comprised of the four Capitol ships and almost a dozen Magus Class Heavy Cruisers*. If the Mage fleet provides protection, the Second fleet could easily provide support and drop ground unit's planet side with good efficiency. I approve." Hackett explained with a smile.

"Especially since two of the Mage fleet capitols are built for support." Kaguya added as she brought up a holographic list in front of everyone. "What ground forces do we send along with them then, and who leads?"

The Comms were silent again as everyone looked over the list. Most of their ground force groups were not at full strength and would take time to gather, but it was also a question of what sort of war they wanted to wage.

"Shanxi is a planet with heavy industry." Hackett suddenly provided. "There are many heavy refineries, factories and research labs. The capitol is designed in circular blocks coming out from the city hall, which also doubles as a command centre and is led by General Williams, who oversees the Alliance R&D heavy weapons test range there in his spare time."

"That's, Yuuka's Husband if I recall, yes?" Kaguya asked nervously.

"Yes, will wonders never cease?" Yukari said with a giggle that felt simply wrong coming from her. "Why are you brining this up though Hackett?"

"Unless our alien enemies can fly, the cities design will provide for our forces. Long streets with few alcoves or entryway into buildings will provide us with excellent defensive posts, and alleyways and the sky will allow us to ambush our enemies with impunity. I suggest we take a defensive Assault strategy. We deploy our regular forces to defend the city with strict orders to stay on the defensive while protecting the populace, and have one or two group of Special Forces act as harassment to the alien forces."

"Those who make the rules win the war. You want to make the aliens fight how we tell them to by using the defensive lines as bait and pulling them into ambushes to slowly grind away at them," Yukari stated neutrally.

"Yes. The Fourth Division* has a battalion already on Shanxi due to their R&D Laboratory and specializes in defensive actions. I say we send in the Fifth Division as support for them on the defence. As to the special forces though. . . "

"Red Eyes* and Blade Breakers*." Kaguya suddenly said with a grin. "Red Eyes specialize in terror and ambush tactics. And a Blade Breaker heavy infantry force can be used to push alien forces out of or into kill zones."

"Agreed, if we also send a platoon or EarthRazers*. We'll need them in removing the alien foothold if they get a strong position."

"Though I loathe to, I agree." Hackett said with a sigh. "That leaves us with who is commanding the ground forces, as we know who will be in orbit. For the defensive forces . . . . What about, Lady Saigyouji?"

"No, Yuyuko would be able to command the forces, but she doesn't have much of a disposition to controlling troop movements or keeping them alive, she's class 2, not 1."

"We would need a class 1 operative wouldn't we?" Kaguya said with a sigh. "Curse our people for mostly being Class 3's!"

"Most of our best work best alone; there is no helping it." Hackett said with a shrug as his eyes suddenly glinted. "What about Lady Hinnanai? She's a class 0. She spans all the classes, has the power to assist in the defence, and the authority that few will disobey her orders."

"She's gotten a lot less arrogant in the last few decades too. She understands military protocol and is working as an instructor in her spare time." Kaguya added with a grin.

"Yes, she will work. One of you will have to inform her however, if I do then it will be all for not." Yukari said as she looked over the list. "Reisen Udongien Trains and leads a Red eye platoon, does she not?"

"Yes." Kaguya answered. "We'll only need two or three platoons of Red eyes and Blade Breakers. Red eyes are self-sufficient as well; they will only need one commanding operative for all their combat platoons."

"That deals with the red eyes. Tenshi would have been one of my choices for a Blade Breaker operative though." Yukari said with a sigh.

"How about three Blade Breaker platoons with operatives, Ibara, Hoshiguma, and Konpaku leading them?" Hackett suggested.

"That will work. Youmu is stoic and will be an excellent vanguard, while Kasen can lead troops effectively, and Yuugi willingly leads from the front with her troops and protects them as she is capable of doing so." Yukari agreed. "Lastly is the Earthrazers. I'm suggesting either Mokou or Utsuho leading it.

"Mokou." Kaguya said instantly. "There are outlying communities on Shanxi, and Mokou can more effectively coordinate attacks with the Earthrazers. Utsuho should be held back until were on the offensive and collateral is not an issue.

"I agree, Collateral should be kept as little as it can be." Hackett said as he leaned against his console and brought up an image of an Exploration class Corvette. "There's something that has been bothering me though. Exploration class corvettes are equipped with no weapons, and are barely one hundred meters in length. They are also fast and maneuverable. Did the alien ship take out the Dawnseeker through accurate single shots, or a sained barrage?"

"With how fast it could move, I doubt any of its crew notices if shots were passing them. They would have grazed them without noticing due to its shielding." Yukari said with a wave of her hand. "We'll just have to see."

"Agreed. What strikes me as odd is the fact they use kinetic rounds in space!" Kaguya said as she brought up a hologram of an old model Lunarian Railgun, now horribly outdated. "We haven't used Kinetic rounds in zero gravity in years, it's just too counterproductive. to make a kinetic round strike with significant enough force you have to propel it at high enough speeds, but if it's too fast the shell can break apart in flight or on contact, unless it is made of a heavily dense metal. This means that to cause more significant damage you need larger shells, and faster speeds together. It's just a waste of resources all around."

"What are you getting at?" Hackett asked.

"If they still use kinetic weapons it means one of two things, either they have nothing better, or they have a way to enhance the kinetic weapons effect on impact and consider it their best option. Drill charges*, Sabot rounds*, an explosive load, they would need something to enhance the effect of the shell, otherwise the damage would not equal the effort put into it!"

"Yet another thing we must figure out then. Perhaps we should also send a science team to Shanxi, to look over any alien technology we come across then?" Hackett suggested.

"A good idea. We should also request Satori Komeji to accompany them. If we by chance capture any aliens, she could be invaluable for getting information out of them!" Yukari suggested.

"I agree. I can contact her and get the call out to the fleets." Kaguya stated.

"And I shall get the call out to our forces that will head to ground, as well as oversee the organization." Hackett provided.

Yukari let out a long sigh. "Good, then I will commence with telling all of our people what is happening and Contacting Shanxi. It will take many days to prepare everything and bring our fleets back; luckily, I believe that operative Cirno will come through in some way for us."

Kaguya let out a laugh. "She's a fairy; even if she dies she still succeeds in pissing the aliens off at the very least!"

"This is true. Let's get to it." Hackett said just before ending his connection.

Kaguya looked to Yukari and smirked. "Talk to you soon!" Then her connection was cut.

In her home in Japan, Yukari let out a long and drawn out sigh and leaned back in her chair. There was so much to do, but at least she had help. "Ran, please prepare my most formal attire. I have a speech to give!"

The next day a communication went out to every television, radio, HoloComm unit and Personal Device in the Entire Alliance, broadcasting a single message from one head of the Alliance. And in response, the coals that were the alliances people, flashed into hot embers and flames that could melt bedrock.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Codex –**

 **HoloComm Device's –** Though Somewhat limited by size, a HoloComm device is similar to pre alliance Human Video call technology. it shows the entire form of the person on each side of the call to the other, in perfect color and hue, making it seem as if they are standing in front of you. a HoloComm is restricted by size, and the smallest one take up about half a meter wide of floor space, mostly for the projectors within it. The actual communication systems within, take up a sparse 15 percent of its total space.

 **Protocol – Fairy's –** Fairy's, while extremely useful due to the fact that they cannot die, also can be a problem due to the fact that most have significant trouble lying due to their simple natures. To counter this, protocol dictates that if a fairy would be captured, the commit suicide in the simplest way available to them.

 **Ship Types – Alliance – The** alliance military classifies their ships by their range of size from smallest to largest as follows –

Interceptor – The smallest scale of Ships, Interceptors are one man ships like large fighter bombers. They have their own built in Boundary drive, and are equipped with numerous weapon systems. There is less armour around their MAGTECH Reactor to compensate for their required speed however; meaning a shot to their reactor can prove fatal far more often than other ships. There is a consideration to have them mass produces as Fairy assault/ kamikaze strike craft. Size is roughly 20 meters in length. Classes = 1. Danmaku Class.

Corvette – The smallest of ships until Interceptor craft were designed, Corvettes average about 85 – 90 meters in length and are crewed by barely a dozen crew members. lightly, or unarmed, Corvettes act primarily as scouts, using speed and maneuverability to avoid enemy attacks, rather than taking them directly. Classes = 2. Exploration class. Scout class.

Cruisers – Light – Light Cruisers are the wolf pack of the alliance, using their speed and weapons to gang up on other ships. They average 200 - 450 meters in size and are most commonly loved by Lunarian's. Classes = 3. Field rabbit (220 meter). Red Rabbit (320 meter). Corpse hunter (450).

Cruisers – Heavy – Heavy cruisers are large and powerful Ships ranging from 500 to nearly 850 meters in length depending on the class. Heavy cruisers are numerous in the alliance, and serve both long and close range combat roles. Classes = 3. Kappa (500meter). Assailant (700meters). Reaper (850meter).

Capitol class Ships – The alliance has two kinds of Capitol Class ships, Battlecruisers and Dreadnuaghts.

Battlecruiser – The largest general purpose ships of the alliance, a Battlecruisers average size is from 900 to 1100 meters in length and carries a substantial number of weapons and armaments. Battlecruisers are separate from dreadnaughts as a Battlecruiser will never be modified and is commanded by skilled crew, without an operative aboard. They are fast, well armored and powerful, often equipped with close and long range weaponry of all kinds. In the absence of an operative and their dreadnaught, Battlecruisers command fleets and organize their actions. Classes = 2. Sol (1100meters). Luna (900meters)

Dreadnaughts are the penultimate masters of combat, specialized and custom built to order. Dreadnaughts are custom built on order by operatives that decide upon its form and function according to their preferences, and many dreadnaughts when not part of a fleet are doing independent action under their owner. Dreadnaughts range in size from 1200 – 3600 meters in length, and their crews can range from well-trained combat soldiers to scientists, magicians or trainee's depending on the ships intended use. Dreadnaughts can only be ordered by Operatives with a Rank of S, A, or B, though not all operatives do order Dreadnaughts. Because they are made to order, Classes of Dreadnaughts do not exist, each dreadnought being a class on its own.

 **Ranged Weapon types and Classifications – alliance** – The alliance has many types of weaponry they use and are categorized as such.

Kinetic – Weaponry that fires a solid slug of matter or pure kinetic force. Historically they were propelled chemically, but are currently propelled by magnetic fields. Kinetic weaponry is on the decline, being phased out for more practical laser weaponry. It is suggested that within the next decade they will exist only in people personal collections and museums. Kinetic weapons are not mounted on ships, though some personal on ships still carry them.

Laser – A short focused Laser is capable of punching through moderate armour and made up the majority of Lunarian weapons before the alliance existed. Lasers are on the rise for personal weaponry, taking over the positions of Declining Kinetic weaponry.

Beam – A long focused beam of high output energy, Beam weaponry can mark the users position if the beam is followed back to its source, but can cut through armour quickly. They do not cauterize wounds like lasers do.

Magic – Magic style weaponry follows a different principle that lasers or Beams do. As they are part of a spell, they can seek, change direction, and even merge into larger masses of power at the casters whim. Magic attacks effects are based upon the element and/or effects they are made with in mind.

Pulse – A pulse is a large concentration of magnetically coalesced and contained burning plasma that is fired at lower velocity than other types of weapons. when the magnetic sphere 'pops' the burning plasma and MAGTECH energy is released in a massive explosion that both burns, melts and fry's everything it touches. Pulses are considered a heavy infantry weapon, and on ships are used for close range heavy damage. They have a long recharge time as the pulse can overheat the launcher if the user is not careful. They cannot home in on targets and move in a straight line, regardless of environmental effects . (Wind, rain, magnetic fields.)

 **Melee Weaponry** – While Ranged kinetic weaponry is on the decline, Melee weapons both energy, magic and Kinetic Based stay actively used due to The Spell card rules. Melee weapons can be as simple as a knife, to a broadsword or magically charged chunk of metal, and should never be belittled.

 **Operatives** – When the Alliance was first formed, Operatives were creates as a form of extreme power special operations units. A single person that can take care of a diverse range of situations. Operatives have long been an important part of the alliance, and when not on a mission, most operatives act in other facets or jobs such as trainers and teachers. Operatives are classified by the ability to work together and alone, and all alliance citizens have their power classified according to the same list that operatives do, as shown below. Operatives must be at minimum, Rank C.

Rank SS: Yama of hell.

Rank S: Ferrymen of Hell, Greater Gods, Celestials, The most supremely powerful youkai and magicians.

Rank A: Greatly powerful youkai, immensely powerful magician, Gods. Do not engage anything this rank of higher if you value your life. Can break past confines of Spellcard Rules if pushed.

Rank B: very powerful youkai, Experienced High magician.

Rank C: powerful youkai or high magician. Lunarian Elite infantry.

Rank D: long term lesser to mid strength youkai. Trained magician.

Rank E: Newly formed Youkai. Apprentice Magician.

Rank F: Common fairy.

Classifications for operatives are as such –

Class 0: Can work alone, in small groups, or even command an army.

Class 1: can work with and command large groups up to Battalion in size.

Class 2: Can work with small groups. Still works best when unhindered.

Class 3: Works best alone. Does not suffer people in their way.


	3. CH3 Retaliation

**Authors note: okay! Turians, Ice atronach's and Danamaku Kamikaze!**

 **Seriously though, Turians. Three of them. one is well known, but I am portraying differently, mainly because I'm tired of seeing Desolas the same way all the time, so I'm screwing with canon.**

 **Also two machine crazies and pilot bodysuits. (You'll see what I mean. see the after the codes if you don't understand how I'm describing them.)**

 **now on with the show / Chapter!**

 **enjoy.**

"Have the Spirits forsaken your fool brain or mistaken it for dirt!" Desolas Arterius roared over his comms. Desolas had recently become a Captain of the Turian Hierarchy, and was on a patrol when he got a message from another Turian ship in a nearby system requesting for his ship to act as an amplifier to send a message to the hierarchy. Normally such a thing would be ridiculous, but the ship in questions Comms were apparently malfunctioning due to trace amounts of some form of unknown energy in the system.

Which led to the current situation. Desolas agreed to have his ship forward the signal to the hierarchy on the condition that he was allowed to listen to the message as he was curious about the unknown energy, but once he had heard everything the captain of the other ship, an even younger captain named Virek Cathris, said to their superior, he simply could not contain his rage.

Hailing a Potentially alien ship on only one channel, attacking them almost immediately after the hail was sent, keeping up such an attack, all because the unknown ship had been nearing an inactive relay. The stupidity of his action was absurd, and while he acted as a Turian should and explained all his actions with complete surety of them, it still angered Desolas greatly.

"Captain Arterius, I was under the impression you were simply witnessing this communication, not joining in it." General Tathid Arcrus said through the Comm as he turned his gaze back to Captain Virek Cathris. "is there anything else you would like to add to your report, Captain Cathris?"

"No sir, I have nothing to add to my report, aside from the fact that the ship in question attempted to activate a mass relay, and as such, their place of origin should be found so that the Hierarchy can go and show them the error of their ways before adopting them as a client race to enter the galactic community!"

"You cannot honestly-" Desolas began to say, until the general raised a claw and looked to Desolas.

"Captain Arterius. Protocol for this situation is clear. Anyone who attempts to activate dormant relays must be denied under all circumstances. If they will not back off after being warned, force is the next step."

Desolas was quiet as he glared at the general, his mandibles twitching in anger.

"You have something to say captain Arterius?"

"I do. Protocol may state as you say, but it also states that contact with unknown alien races is to be as civil and pleasant as possible. Inviting them to the citadel to speak with the council and join it is of the utmost priority. Virek's actions have made that impossible. If this new race discovers what we have done, it will be war, not peace that they have with us, and it will be a talk about reparation, not joining willingly that they have with the council!"

"Oh please, there is no proof that the ship I fired upon was an alien ship. It was likely just a Batarian scout!" Virek responded angrily.

"The proof is in the information you shared." Desolas said angrily. "An extremely tiny ship, with no visible weapons, and no mass effect field. That is what the scans you sent before speaking said in them, di they not?"

"Well, yes but-"

"The fact they had no mass effect signature likely means that they have either not discovered it, or have no element zero to discover it with. Additionally, a ship of that size, with no visible weapons, would have no weapons because of its size! What you destroyed was likely some sort of scouting ship or probe, likely from a nearby system that has only recently discovered space flight!"

"T-that's-"

"The situation is complicated." General Arcrus said. "Yes, protocol related to inactive Relays does state that they must be stopped with all available power, but protocol about new or unknown alien races also dictates they be contacted and invited under the pretenses of peace. There has not been a case of both protocols coming into effect in the same instance. There is no protocol for it."

"General, may I voice a suggestion then?" Desolas asked carefully.

"You may." The general replied.

"I suggest that we contact the council, get them involved before we find the new aliens again, and attempt communicating again. With the Salarians and Asari there with us, contact with the new aliens should not be impossible and we can resolve this situation without it devolving into combat, or in the worst case, war."

The communication was quiet for many moments, until finally the general spoke up. "I will speak to the Hierarchy about the situation. The Primarch can decide how we proceed. Until a decision is made however. . ." He pauses as he looks at Desolas and Virek. "Desolas you are to move your ship to Virek's position, and both of your ships will hold position there. Any ships you encounter that you can classify, must be warned and sent away. If other ships similar to the one you encountered appear, you are to hail them until they respond. You will only fire in self-defence if fired upon, is this understand?"

"Yes sir!" Both captains responded immediately.

"Good, you have your orders. I will contact you when a decision is made."

With that the connection to the general was cut, and only the two of them remained connected.

"Arterius are you trying to-" Cathris began to say, until Desolas cut the connection to him and walked out of his ships communication room; fuming the entire way as he moved to the bridge of his ship.

The entire situation was ridiculous and made Desolas nervous about for reasons he did not fully understand. He still had the image from Vireks' ship in his head, that little blue and green ship, far smaller than any ship should be, and turning so fast it'd shear their own ships in two. This wasn't just a case of a lack of element zero like he suggested, it felt like something more. The ship was strange, nothing like he had seen before, and the energy readings that Virek hadn't mentioned to the general worried him, especially since it apparently could have been responsible in disrupting Vireks long distance communications.

He would have to find out why it worried him so seriously, and the easiest wat to do that would be to look at the scans from Virek's ship himself, and to do that, he needed to get to his ship.

"Move us to the Hunters pride in the nearby system." Desolas said as he made it to the bridge of his ship, his people immediately beginning their work as he ordered it.

"Heading set sir. We have to go through one relay, so it will take us roughly half a day to get there." The pilot said calmly.

"Very good. Inform me of when we arrive; I shall be in my quarters." Desolas said as he turned and left the bridge as quickly as he came, his mind spinning with information and possibilities. Virek had fired on the alien ship and had tried to contact Palaven for nearly a day before his own ship came into range. Another half day had been wasted setting up the communication with the General and waiting on him, and now another half day to get to Virek's ship. Two days since the alien's ship had been destroyed.

Desolas hopes it wasn't so long that they became paranoid about their missing ship, or were already looking for it.

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Cirno drifted through the forests of New Eden after a well-deserved rest, a huge grin plastering her face like a kid in a candy shop. the air sung with birds and bugs, she could see other fairy's dancing around in a nearby glade while a pair of them appeared to be wrestling, one trying to choke the other out, and the blue sky shone down like a beam of happiness.

It was a good day.

Of course it was a good day; it was time for ice cold revenge!

The day before she had received her mission, and as soon as the briefing was done she had leapt into the closest simulator to make sure she'd know how to fly the new ship she was to use. The Danmaku class Interceptor. Just from its simulation it turned on a leaf, soared like a Tengu and fired off rounds in such a quantity that it reminded her of fighting Marisa Kirisame for the first time all those years ago. It was a great ship, and as Cirno naturally knew how to fly, she could apply some of her natural skill to her piloting though not as much as she'd like. It had taken her five attempts, without taking a break at all, until she got a rating that'd allow her to go on the mission, a rating of 89. She would have like 99, but she'd take what she could get, this was after all, revenge for Dai, and she couldn't wait to fly the interceptor itself and really feel its capabilities!

Reaching the edge of the city Cirno picked up her speed, going from a casual stroll to quick flight as if it was as simple as breathing. The quicker she got to the docks, the quicker she could leave and show the aliens what it meant to attack her friend!

"Hey Cirno!"

And speaking of her friend, there she was. At the end of the street at a café on the corner run by some friendly youkai sat Daiyousei and Rumia, who was wearing a devious smirk. Rumia was a Youkai who Cirno and Daiyousei had known since before the border broke. She was simple back then, but when the border broke she gained a little bit of age and intelligence, similar to how some fairy's had. In the past, just like Cirno and Daiyousei, she looked childish, now though she looked older than either of them, almost in her mid-twenties. Her once short blonde hair was down to her shoulder blades and well cared for. She was wearing a black top that was loose against her modest chest and a similarly loose black skirt with a leather military jacket tied around her waist. Held there by the jacket was a sword of black metal that had the remains of a long destroyed Talisman permanently melded into its handle, the remains of the Talisman ribbon she once had in her hair.

"Morning Cirno, I hear you owe me lunch!" Rumia declared with a smile as she pointed to the seat across from her and Dai.

"Ugh, I do but . . . another time maybe? I'm kind of in a hurry?" Cirno asked uncertainly.

"Nope!" Rumia said with a grin. "You owe me food, and I'm hungry. That and I forgot my Wallet in the barracks."

"Why not go and get it then?" Cirno asked as she sighed and sat down, waving at a waitress to tell them they were ready to order.

"Don't want to go back. Ever since the News last night the entire barracks has been buzzing. I like it more quiet."

"News? What news?"

"Cirno, what was talked about yesterday!" Dai said under her breath.

"Oh right, so everybody knows then? Aliens?" Cirno asked.

"Yep. It's why I'm not going back to the barracks. Too many people too worked up about it. Makes me hungry." Rumia said before turning to the Waitress as she came over and pointing to her order on the menu. An act that Cirno and Dai mirrored as they continued to speak.

"Everything makes you hungry Rumia." Cirno deadpanned.

"Yeah . . . What are you doing though? Is the fifth division doing anything because of the news?" Daiyousei asked nervously.

"Not as of yet. We've been told to stay on notice and that's it. Training this morning was cancelled, as was our work this afternoon I think their waiting for something."

"Probably for me to go kick their butts!" Cirno said with a grin.

"Dai told me about it. To think you get to have the first go at em, makes me envious. I want to see if they taste good!"

"Well you'll have to wait." Cirno said with a grin as the waitress came over and placed their food on the table. Dai had a salad, Rumia what looked to be some sort of well cooked meat and fries, and Cirno a fruit smoothie. "Ah, can I get a lid to go, please?" Cirno asked the Waitress as she left, nearly sitting on the edge of her seat in anticipation to leave.

"You really want to get going huh?" Rumia asked, noticing that Cirno was actually floating above her seat about an inch, not sitting on it.

"Yeah; I had to learn new ships controls, so I want to see what it can do out of a simulator! And I want to get revenge for Dai! And beat up some Aliens!"

"But I'm right here." Dai said.

"Yeah, but they killed you, so I'll get revenge for you!"

Daiyousei let out a sigh and silently moaned at her understanding of how other races saw death. It made things annoying for her, and she wished she didn't understand the difference.

"Sounds like fun. Hope I get a piece of them soon." Rumia said as the waitress came back and placed a cap and straw on Cirno's cup with a silent smile.

"Thanks." Cirno said with a smile as she pulled out some coins and dropped them on the table for the waitress, just before leaping over her chair with a grin. "Got to go beat on aliens, bye!

"Ah, Cirno, hang on a sec!" Rumia called, stopping Cirno in her tracks. As she turned around Rumia threw something at her, Cirno catching it on instinct and looking it over in her hand. It was a blank card with five golden stars on the lower left corner and ornate red ending. "You'll have time when you slip to go to the aliens yeah, use that while waiting!"

Cirno looked at it for a moment and grinned as she realized what Rumia meant. She had handed her a Blank Spellcard, a five star one. "Are you sure, a five star Spellcard is pretty important, yeah?"

"Consider it a repayment for lunch, and a gift for beating on those aliens with!" Rumia said with a grin.

"Got it!" Cirno said as she slipped the Blank Spellcard into her jacket and flew off down the streets of New Eden's Capitol. The city was calm and beautiful, but now that she knew that everyone had been informed of what had happened with Dai, she began to things a little bit off with some people. Some looked worried, others excited, and some had vindictive smiles. It was like when an incident happened all over again! Everyone was getting ready for what they could do for it!

With her wings beating incessantly, and pointlessly, Cirno sped through the city darting across streets, down roads and even over some low buildings and pushed forward to her objective, the New Eden Spaceport. And as she soared around a corner, it came into view.

The New Eden space port was the largest facility on the planet, easily as large as the whole city and most of its smaller communities put together. The majority of its size was taken up by the massive landing areas for ships and their hangers, but the buildings around the spaceport were just as impressive, their silver roofs and antennas piercing the sky like horns and claws.

Entering the main building she took to the air and kept herself aloft near the ceiling to not get in anyone way and made her way through it toward the military section of the spaceport. The military controlled a full third of the spaceport buildings and half of it by landing area, but to keep things organized, all personnel had to enter though the same door, a door that was connected to the public area of the spaceport.

Finally getting to the door itself Cirno floated own in front of it to see the door man sitting on a chair with his feet up, a large laser pistol on his belt in easy reach. The human tipped his hat out of the way to look at Cirno and smiled. "Business?"

"Yes. Operative Cirno, here to go beat down on aliens!"

The human let out a chuckle and pulled out a Tablet that he quickly began fiddling with for a few seconds. "Yep, I've orders to let you in without any scans. You'll want to down to the R&D area at the far end of the building. One of their techs is there and wants to speak to you." The man explained as the absurdly heavy metal doors slid into the wall, showing off their stupid half meter of Thickness. The Alliance love security on some places, and even high level magic would have trouble with such doors. R&D locations were one such place with such security, though it was often for the public's security, not R&D's.

"Thanks!" Cirno called as she went though, not hearing the humans other words as she sped into and down the halls of the Military side of the spaceport.

Unlike the public side of it, the military side was far less crowded. People were walking around, doing their jobs and the like, and there was a definite steely feeling to the air as engineers and techs rushed around, but it was far calmer despite the nature of the area, and speeding down the halls caused no one any hazard with the lessened number of people.

Finally arriving at the R&D Section of the spaceport, made obvious by the lack of paint on the metal walls and the very industrial look of everything including a sign that said Research and Development in big gold letters, Cirno flew in and was immediacy accosted by a trio of flying spheres that tried to block her path.

"Ah, what, hey, move!" Cirno said in annoyance as all three spheres moved to block her no matter how she tried to go around. "That's it! I'll just-"

"You don't need to go that far!" A voice called as the drones suddenly lowered to the floor and slid over to their apparent operator. Standing a bit taller than Cirno with cargo pants and a loose tank top covering her chest was someone Cirno had come to know in the past. A green haired kappa named-

"Nitori! Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you." Nitori said simply with a smile as she tapped a few buttons on the wrist computer she wore, making the drones that had gotten in Cirno's way fly off down the hall. "I'm part of the Interceptor design team, so I came with it to New Eden along with one other tech to make sure you don't break it before it gets off the ground."

"Uh, I- I wouldn't break it, not that quickly." Cirno said with a sour looking pout as Nitori gestured for her to follow her down the halls.

"I know I'm just messing with you. . . . The interceptor is an amazing ship, I'm actually surprised their giving it to you for your mission."

"It's because I'm just that strong!" Cirno said proudly.

"Yeah, well let's hope the aliens aren't too strong then." Nitori said as the came to a large metal door, with a smaller metal door beside it. "Oh almost forgot!" She exclaimed as she turned to Cirno. "There's still some last minute stuff we need to do to the interceptor to get it ready, so head in here and change into the new Piloting suit for it."

"Eh? What's wrong with my uniform?" Cirno asked standoffishly.

"Nothing, if you don't mind dying by being turned into a paste from the G forces the Interceptor will get in actual space flight." Nitori said with a smirk as she pointed to the smaller door. "Your suits hanging on a locker at the far end of the room near the back door. Once you've changed just go through it into the hanger and you'll see me working on the interceptor!"

Cirno watched Nitori leave though the large doors and sighed as she went through the smaller one and into the changing room. Like most changing rooms it was simply rows of lockers with one wall being covered in showers set into recesses in the walls. It quickly became apparent that no one else was in the changing room either, allowing Cirno to quickly head to the back wall. Just as Nitori explained, hanging up off an open looker was the pilot suit, though it was far different than Cirno had expected.

Previous piloting suits she had worn, like in training, or ones she had seen other wear were often like old style human, or old Lunarian suits. Bulky layers of protective fabric and carapace along with head masks and breathers. This suit however looked like it was made of extremely thin plastic, with chunks of metal here and there, mostly on each hip and the back between where someone's shoulder blades would sit. There was also metal in the lower arms that looked like it was made for a WristComp* to go into it. It appeared to be all one piece too, not made up of multiple pieces of clothing.

As she got closer Cirno noticed a note stick onto the hangar the suit was on and grabbed it, looking it over.

Cirno, I'll explain the suit in a bit, so just put it on, make sure the collar piece is closed properly around your neck, then tap the keys on each hip piece and hit the latch on the back. The suit will constrict to your form. Oh, and don't wear anything under it or it may be uncomfortable.

Nitori

PS, there's a flap on the leg were you can keep spells cards if you have any on you.

PSS: and no I did not design this. I swear it.

Cirno tossed the note to the side with a sigh as she began undressing. It didn't really bother her, there was no one else in the change room, and even if there was she had nothing to hide, but would it have killed Nitori to tell her in the first place? Now if she died she'd have to come all the way back here to get her uniform. Fairy's resurrected with their most casual clothing unless they chose otherwise after all, had she somehow forgotten that?

. . . . . She probably had. Nitori wasn't a fairy after all.

With another sigh, Cirno finished undressing and grabbed the suit, found the hole in the top of it and began slipping her legs into it. It felt weird, like a cross between plastic and silk. Getting it on was simple and it felt strangely loose, at least until Cirno tapped the two pieces of metal that sat on her hips and the one on her back. Without any warning the suit began shrinking, becoming tighter until it hugged her body as closely as possible in every angle. Looking it over Cirno found that she could only barely feel the suit and it was very easy to move in. the material was apparently. Thick enough that it did not show off anything that it shouldn't, but the fact it hugged her form so closely was still embarrassing, something she didn't feel often.

Stowing her uniform into the locker, and taking her Spellcards out of the pocket of her skirt, she left the changing room, being sure to slip the Spellcards, including the blank one, in the only pocket like place on the suit in her left leg.

The room she entered was a giant section of the military hanger used by R&D. Dozens of small prototype crafts sat around the room, the far wall open to the outside of the port overlooking the ocean from high cliffs, After a moment of looking Cirno spotted Nitori to her right near the far wall of the hanger, her head ticking out of the top of a craft that Cirno had never seen before, but recognized immidiatly.

Ship designs in the alliance varied greatly according to who designed them. If a ship was designed by a human or youkai, if often was very blocky or violent looking, while Lunarian designs often were more smooth and curved. Magically designed ships were even further down the spectrum, looking like old worn masses of steel; at least up till magic began coursing through and making them glow ominously. The ship Nitori was working on however was not quite like any other design she had seen.

It was shaped sort of like a backwards arrowhead, a large but sleek engine coming out of the point at the back. The cockpit was inset into the body of the ship, barely visible, and between it and the engine was a large hole that Nitori was currently partly sticking out of. Cirno could see at least two lasers on the side closer to her, as well as what she thought could be a pulse cannon on the underside of the one wing, partially built into it. The ship had the sleekness of a Lunarian design, the blocky shape of a Human design, and had the dangerous, yet subtle, look of youkai designs the only thing it was missing was magic runes and it'd look like all of the designs smashed into one small arrowhead of death!

It honestly looked really cool in Cirno's opinion.

"Wow, looks fun!" Cirno commented as she got closer, making her presence known to Nitori, who simply glanced slightly at her and continued to work.

"Yep. Just give . . . me. . . One . . . moment to . . . there got it!" Nitori exclaimed as she stood up, wiped some sweat off her forehead and climbed out of the hole, dropping to the floor and turning to Cirno. "Looks pretty cool huh? It uses various design philosophies in its construction, and should be really powerful . . . . . . . Once the Reactor gets here."

"It has no reactor?" Cirno asked sadly.

"No its here, but it's in the back room getting activated by our local magicians. Transporting prototypes with active reactors is a bad idea, and no point in activating it before its ready, right?" Nitori said as she walked around to the front of the Ship, motioning for Cirno to join her. "Its engine is twice as powerful as a regular Lunarian fighter's engine, though with the added armaments and weight it only matches a fighters speed. It has angling jets on the top, sides and bottoms of the wings as well as in front of the cockpit, meaning you can activate them to quickly change the direction and speed of the ship. Though the G's from doing so would be rather painful normally . . . ."

"It was hard to get use to at first in the sim . . . Is that the reason for this thing?" Cirno asked as she pointed to skin-tight pilot suit she had changed into.

"Yes actually. I won't tell you what it's made out of, as I'd end up biting my tongue, but the suit is a newly designed pilot suit that we in R&D hope will replace older pilot suits. It's protects the body from absurd amount of G forces, is resistant to Fire, cold, Electricity, acid and completely blocks wind. A helmet we've designed can be connected to the suit at the neck as well, creating a suit that can be in space with a basic air tank that would let most people stay adrift for about an hour, or two if they are small. The best part is that its skin tight, so it won't get in the way and won't impede movement, and is enchanted with magic enhancements to protect the wearer even further. It hasn't been tested in that facet, but we figure it should be able to block at least a handful of direct kinetic rounds."

"And lasers? Magic?"

"Its enchantments will protect from some low level magic, but we haven't had a chance to test it with lasers, beams or actual kinetic rounds yet. This is the pilot version, so our main focus was G forces and elemental resistance. Our ground combat suit we're designing is far stronger and customizable, but it is still a couple days from completing its preliminary testing phase and-"

"Hey Nitori! The Reactor is active and ready to, OH MY GOODNESS!"

Cirno and Nitori turned to look past the interceptor, and Nitori swore under her breath. Standing there was a Twelve foot tall Mechanical Exosuit of heavy metal and wires, holding in one of its massive triple fingered hands, an active MAGTECH Reactor waiting to be installed into the interceptor. Piloting said Exosuit however, was the one that Nitori was swearing about, Sanae Kochiya. She was a young woman, maybe twenty five if someone was to guess her age by her looks, who had long green hair the color of spring grass, and a body many women would kill for. Nitori would admit she herself had a nice body, but it was nothing to Sanae's. Long sleek thin legs, wide hips, a tight waist and very large breasts, soft skin, thin arms, she basically had the perfect body in many people's eyes. It wasn't her body that Nitori was annoyed by though-

"Goodness it looks so good on you Cirno, I'll be right down and I can-" Sanae went on constantly, not seeming to even breathe.

"Sanae! Place the reactor in the interceptor so I can hook it up, then you can talk to Cirno about your suit!"

-It was her personality that often drove Nitori crazy on occasion.

"Oh right, Reactor first, almost forgot!" Sanae said with a cutesy face, her tongue stuck out in a silly pose, as she piloted the Exosuit and carefully deposited the Reactor into the hole on the interceptor. It was small for a reactor, but it was still almost two thirds the Size of Cirno or Nitori. "Okay, Reactor is in. I'll go park this and be right back!" Sanae said as the Exosuit quickly stomped off, shaking everything around as it went.

"Hope you're ready for her Cirno, Sanae designed that suit you're wearing. I'll be connecting the last parts for the interceptor." Nitori said as she walked over and climbed onto it with no difficulty.

"Do I have to be?" Cirno asked no one in particular as she saw Sanae running over to her. it had been impossible to tell beforehand while she was piloting the mechanics Exosuit as only her head had been visible, but she appeared to be wearing a Bodysuit that looked like Cirno's only it was pale and dark green in its colors, unlike the Blue and silver of Cirno's.

"Cirno! Whoa, it looks so good on you!" Sanae said gleefully as she ran up to Cirno and began circling her with an inquisitive eye, looking her entire, or more accurately, the bodysuit, up and down nonstop. "It fits you so well and even shaped around you perfectly! How much of it can you feel? Is it easy to move around in? What do you think of it? Are there any-"

"Humans die if they don't breathe Sanae! Stop talking!" Cirno suddenly shrieked at the top of her lungs.

Sanae stopped, looked at Cirno, coughed bit, exhaled and drew in a big breath with a smile. "Humans sure, but I'm not really a human remember? I'm deified!"

"Still human. If I choke you out for long enough you die. If I freeze you solid for long enough, you die."

"I'll make a miracle to breathe some other way, and a miracle to survive freezing. Won't die." Sanae countered, calming down as she did, judging by how her face color was returning to normal.

"ugh, miracles are cheating." Cirno said with a sigh as she pointed at Sanae, specifically the bodysuit she was wearing. "So you designed, or made . . . Are responsible for this?"

"Hmm, for what?" Sanae asked obliviously.

"These," Cirno shifted uncomfortable, "stupidly skin-tight suits. I feel like people are eyeing me up and down from how tight it is to my skin! It's embarrassing!"

"Oh it's not that bad, swimsuits show off more skin than these do!" Sanae said with a grin. "And yes, I designed and made them. I made the one I'm wearing a year or so ago, as a suit to protect me from mechanical problems when working with machines. When R&D Began deliberating ideas for a next gen pilot suit I put it forward as an option and it was considered and then accepted because its resilient, will not get in the way and protects the wearer well!"

"Why does it need to be so tight though?"

"Huh? Well, to not be in the way, that and let's be honest, we've been running around space and colonizing worlds, yet all of our uniforms haven't changed at all! We needed something that at least looked like it was space age or sci-fi, right?"

Cirno looked at Sanae and sighed. It was no use. She wasn't going to win this argument. It just wasn't possible. She needed to change the subject or she'd be getting grilled for her thoughts on the suit again. "Did you help with the interceptor?"

"Oh yes I did, how much did Nitori tell you about?"

"The propulsion and engine. The Simulator only had it with lasers though, is that all it has?"

"Oh no, not at all!" Sanae said as she walked over to the front of the Interceptor and beamed as she spoke. "The interceptor has nine Weapon systems on it, all of them as mirror linked banks that-"

"Huh?"

"Oh right sorry." Sanae said as she began gesturing at just one side of the interceptor. "What that means is that is has nine weapon banks, so this gun is connected and fires in tandem with the one in the same position on the opposite side. It basically has eighteen weapons points on it, but because they are linked in tandem, nine."

"Okay, I think I get it." Cirno said uncertainly. "What are they then?"

"A variety actually." Sanae began. "Of the nine banks, four of them are repeating laser banks, two of them are beam emitters, two of them are Ejection ports, and one bank is pulse cannons!"

"Ejection ports? Like-"

"No it doesn't eject you." Sanae said swiftly. " We haven't come up with a better name for it yet, maybe spell card launcher, but it's a new system we were given to use that was designed by Marisa and Patchouli. Basically you put a spell card of three stars or less into the system and the ejection port creates the effect of that spell card for a time. It only works with spell cards that have range though, and it only lasts about two minutes per spell card that is inserted. It also puts that Spellcards effects to all the ejection ports." Sanae said as she motioned to an unlit pair of generic magic circles set between what looked to be two beam emitters.

Cirno thought for a second as Sanae's words began to make sense to her and she pulled out a Spellcard of the pocket on her leg. "So, if I put my icicle machinegun into it –"

"Each ejection port would begin firing your icicle machine gun. Yep!"

"Oh that's cool!"

"Yes it is! What other Spellcards do you have with you?

"Two icicle machine guns, two Insta-freeze beams, and this blank five star I was planning on preparing while mid-slip." Cirno said as she looked over the interceptor and its eighteen total guns. It was a thing of beauty, and all the guns made it clear where its name came from.

"Those will be good to use in its ejection ports. With them, and the four laser banks and two beam banks, you should be able to cause serious damage to almost anything if you focus your fire on it for a sparse couple seconds."

"What about the pulse cannons, there's one on each side so-"

The pulse cannons fire in tandem like the other guns, but. Okay, so you know how lasers and beams have different firing speeds right?"

"Yeah."

"And how different Spellcards have different casting speeds?

"Yes?"

"Well, the lasers, beams and ejection ports all will fire when you pull the trigger, all at the same time. their different firing speed will make it harder to judge how they move by the enemy, but because they use a different firing speed, and there is some dispersion on lasers and Spellcards, if the pulse cannons fired at the same time a laser could hit them and disrupt them, making them blow up right in front of your ship. That and their recharge speed is terrible so they are only good at certain times. So the pulse cannons on a separate trigger so you can use them when needed."

" . . . .So little guns on one hand, big guns on other hand?" Cirno asked for clarification.

"I- I guess so, yes."

"Good, when can I leave and go beat down those aliens for Dai?" Cirno asked loudly, sounding as triumphant as if she had returned from doing so already.

"As soon as Nitori finishes-"

"Done!" Nitori suddenly called as he climbed off the interceptor and dropped to the ground with a wrench in her hand, half melted. "The Reactors all connected up, the casing is on, and everything is airtight. It's ready to fly!"

"Sweet! Open it up then!" Cirno said with a grin as she ran toward it as Nitori pushed a short wheeled staircase over to its side.

"Aw, I wanted to know more about what you thought of the pilot suit!" Sanae complained as she came over and climbed the stairs with Nitori, right behind Cirno.

"Okay, you know how to pilot it from the Sim," Nitori began with a smile as Cirno climbed into the Cockpit and stepped herself in. "You know how to turn everything on and set the boundary drive, right?"

"Of course! Piloting is too much fun not to!" Cirno replied as she flicked a dozen switches, causing all the lights in the cockpit to begin glowing faintly. A second later they began glowing fiercely, and a silent hum began emanating from the Interceptor as the reactor began being tapped for the first time.

"Okay good. You have the coordinates right?" Nitori asked, sounding nervous as she did.

"Yep. Cirno replied again as she tapped a few more keys on the console, causing two bars to slip out of the console to the sides and open up, revealing two command sticks for her hands.

"Good. Two things though," Sanae began s she leaned into the cockpit and flicked one switch, causing a small slot to open up in the centre top of the console. "This is the slot for the ejection port system. You can put a spell card in now, and it will only activate once you pull the trigger to fire."

Cirno put both hands into the control bars and flexed her fingers within. "Left side main fire, right side for the pulses?"

"Yes," Sanae replied.

"The interceptor has had a flight recorder put into it for the mission, so we at R&D can get all the info on the enemy weapons as ship as possible, as well as your own flying and how effective you were. Just be sure that the interceptor is destroyed completely okay? The recorder sends its info in real time, so we won't lose any."

"Alright, maybe I'll fly it into their bridge. That'd be fun!"

Both Sanae and Nitori sighed at the thought of all their work being used as a suicide bomber.

"Do what you must, just don't let any of it remain for the aliens to get tech from." Nitori said as Sanae climbed down from the stairway and began pulling it away, nearly making Nitori fall off as she tapped a button on the inside edge of the cockpit, causing the cockpit to slide down.

Once she stopped pulling the Stairway back Sanae raised her left arm where her WristComp was inset into her bodysuit and tapped it. "Cirno, can you hear me?"

A second of silence. another second, another. "Yep, I hear you, had to find the comms button." Cirno's voice came happily out of Sanae's WristComp.

"Good. Commence engine charge. " The engine at the back of the Interceptor Roared to life as Sanae tapped a few keys on her WristComp, making the platform the interceptor was on shift and move further down the hanger toward the open wall. " Take off in three, two, and one, Takeoff!"

The interceptor's engines roared even louder, causing people at even the far end of the hanger to cover their ears in surprise as it then burned down the hanger and out the building. In less than a second it was soaring over the ocean, then up toward the sky and out of sight.

"And with that, our job is done." Nitori said with satisfaction. "Hopefully the Intercept gets set for full production. It would make a very good spec ops or fairy kamikaze ship, as much as I don't want to admit that one."

"Yeah, oh, an email!" Sanae exclaimed as she opened it on her WristComp.

"I hope it's not about what I think it is."

"It's from R&D Headquarters. it says they need to speak to us immediately about multiple things. Not what though. Aw, I was hoping the testing on the ground unit bodysuits was complete!"

"Thank goodness. We better get to the HoloComm room then. I hope Cirno's mission goes alright."

"Yeah, me to."

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Captain Virek Cathris let out a sigh as he stood on the bridge of the Hunter's Pride. He was still waiting for Desolas to arrive with his ship, and the waiting was starting to anger him even further than Desolas already had.

He had followed protocol correctly, yet Arterius still argued with him and in front of their direct superior no less! He second guessed his actions despite following protocol, and even made it sound like he had done wrong!

It angered him to no end, but at least it seemed that the general was taking his side while considering Desolas's ridiculous idea.

"How long until Arterius Gets here?" He barked to the nearest officer on the bridge, his impatience getting the better of him.

"Not much longer sir, if they are making good time and reached the nearest relay at full speed."

"Good. As soon as he gets here I-"

"Sir, a contact has just appeared on scanners!" An officer interrupted.

"What is it, a cruiser, and frigate? Where did it come from?"

"It . . . . I'm not sure sir, it's barely twenty meters long according to the scanner, and it just barely is picking it up. Some kind of fighter or transport maybe. The scanners can't get an accurate lock on it."

"Where did it come from!?"

"Out of nowhere sir, it just appeared on our scanners . . . Just a couple dozen meters from . . . where the other ship had been destroyed!"

"What? You're sure?"

"Yes sir!"

". . . Give me a visual on it!"

"I'm trying and-, got it!"

A second later a small screen appeared before Virek. What was on it looked to be a silver triangle of some sort, but it was so small that it was hard to make out anything. Then it began moving, a massive yellow contrail forming behind it.

"Contact it as we have orders to." Virek said, annoyance tainting his tone.

"Yes sir."

". . . . . . . Where is it heading? Has it responded to our hail?"Virek asked impatiently.

"N-no sir. It's not responding to our hails, though the VI thinks that they are reaching it."

"So it's ignoring us. Where is it heading then, to the relay?"

"No sir. It's heading toward the Hunters pride. Fast."

"What? It's only the size of a landing shuttle, what is it thinking?"

"Sir, it's closing in on combat range."

Virek thought for a second and smiled, his mandibles spreading in anticipation. "Align the Guardians at it. If it attacks us, shoot it into a million pieces!"

"Yes sir the guardians are almost-" The Turian officer was stopped as warning sirens suddenly went off in the bridge, followed by a heavy crashing sound and an explosion that shook the entire ship.

"What was that!?" Virek demanded a he steadied himself. "What is going on?"

"U-unsure sir. The scanners say they picked up some form of energy, then the Shield registered a massive hit, we're down to 60, 58, 44, 37-"

"That's impossible! Fire the guardians, get me a visual!" Virek commanded, and a second later he got what he wanted, sort of. The screen before him was only picking up a stream of white green lights that filled the space between them on the screen. Then he looked out the main window of the bridge and caught sight of the enemy ship itself.

Far out in the blackness of space, the unknown ship was ahead of them, shown only by its contrail and a line of ever growing green and now blue lights. And by the time he noticed what they were, it was too late.

Green beams ransacked the ship like rain, and after a mere second the sound of shattering glass filled the bridge, just as all atmosphere began getting pulled out into the void. Falling back on his training Vireks claw scratched at the emergency blast shields button on his Omnitool, closing them over where the bridge window had sat. By the time it closed, the suction from the vent had pulled him from his post and dropped him at the foot of the blast shields, a half second away from having been sucked into the void.

"That, by the spirits, were those lasers?" one female Turian asked in disbelief as she tried to get up and crawl to her console, as many others did.

"It looked like it, didn't it? Actual Lasers!" another said as he quickly got and moved over to his console, the entire ship shaking under them. "Our kinetic barriers are down to 11 percent and, this can't be right?"

"What?" Virek asked as he got up, his heart beating so fast he would swear everyone in the d=bridge could hear it.

"Our hull integrity is down to 68 percent. We've got hull breaches on decks three five, six seven and ten and are leaking atmosphere. Our main battery is out of commission, half the guardians are down and our engines working at only twenty percent!"

Virek looked at the female Turian in shock. It was impossible, no ship could do so much damage so quickly and there was no way that ship had direct energy weapons that powerful! Not when even the Salarians didn't have them! "Wait, what about our drive core? Our mass effect field?"

"Both are stable sir. The VI has confirmed what was hitting us, partially. It's saying that our barriers were getting hit by particles of some kind as well as, frozen water? Our hull was being hit by heat and some sort of explosive energy. So maybe those lasers?

"Those were not lasers! Where is that ship! I want it blown out of the sky and-"The ship suddenly rocked as more alarms began blaring. "What was that?"

"Sir, our barriers are down and a massive energy spike was just recorded on the starboard loading hanger. Its doors have been blown apart and it's venting atmosphere!"

"Close the emergency blast doors!

"On it! The venting is slowing it and-"Another crash made the ship shudder, but this one was felt through the whole ship, and heard as if it was close by.

"What, happened!" Virek roared in anger.

"Sir, the- the enemy ship just flew into the open loading hanger before the doors closed, at full speed!"

"Wh-what!?" Virek said in shock. "They crashed into us? Suicide? What's the damage?!"

"Sir all decks are damaged, but atmosphere vents have been slowed or locked down. Oh spirits, that suicide attack pierced right through the decks and into the mass effect drive core, its damaged and is slowly losing stability!"

"Dammit, send our engineers down and stabilize the core! That is our first priority. Once the core is stable then we can clean up the ship and look at that unknown's wreckage."

"Yes sir!"

Virek let out a sigh and leaned on his console, bringing up a VI documented report of the combat and damages. The more he looked at it the less sense it made. According the VI, some of the crafts attacks simply bypassed their barriers, and others were stopped but did absurd damage against them. They were only a light cruiser, but a cruiser was still powerful in its own right. The information supplied by the Vi got even weirder as well. Strange spikes of electrical energy and radiation that did critical damage to any systems near the strike point. Then there was the points were supposedly frozen water had been striking them. The VI was now stating that there were section of the hull covered in it, and other section that apparently had the outer plating melted. It was like the reports the VI were giving were countering each other, making the situation simple. The VI was broken. One of the attacks must have damaged and broken it, so now he could not even get an intelligent report of the damages to his ship!

"Sir, sir we have a problem." A female Turian officer said nervously, sounding like she was confused.

"What is it?"

"We've, we've just lost the vitals of our repair technicians that went to stabilize the Mas effect core. Their heartbeats spiked up, then nothing.

"Sir, I've got a report from a sergeant near the core!" Another Turian called out in, in what sounded like fear. "He said he heard gunfire from the drive core room a few seconds after the technicians went in. then some other sound he said he can't describe!"

The information told Virek one thing. A boarder. But that was impossible. The ship crashed into them at full force, and blew through entire levels and walls to hit the core, and that alone was hard to take in. the idea that its pilot could survive that was unthinkable. But if there was gunfire and his people were down, it seemed like the only option. "We have a boarder; all forces are to locate and destroy it and bring its body to me!"

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Cirno sighed as she Leaned against the frozen alien before her, taking a look at the inside of the room she was in. gunning all the weapons as she flew into the enemy ship had seemed a good idea at the time, it blew apart walls and made her plunge deep into the ship, all the way to this strange room. It was spherical, and in the centre of it was a large metal sphere that seemed to glow and pulse with strange energy. It actually made her a bit nauseous being near it, and she could see a large scar across its bottom from where the interceptor must have clipped it before becoming embedded in the wall behind her.

The interceptor had been too hardy, and while it looked terrible, it still had power, meaning she had to make sure it would be destroyed and that nothing would stop if from being destroyed. So with a grin covering her face Cirno climbed back into the cockpit and typed in the passcode for setting the reactor critical. A timer with nine minutes on it appeared and began counting down. It was time to find more about about the aliens.

She hadn't gotten a good look at the first ones that had appeared as she had first climbed out of the interceptor. They had begun firing on her with small arms of some kind, and she froze them on reflex. The real problem was that the ice was dark and hard to see through, so she couldn't even look at them while frozen.

Climbing down from the cockpit Cirno went over to the door the aliens had come through and the n turned back to the Interceptor, firing a beam of ice at it until it was completely covered. "There, now they can't stop it from blowing up!" Cirno said with satisfaction as she turned and then glanced down, seeing dark marks all over her suit, and a small cut through the edge of the fabric on one leg. it appeared that while it was indeed able to stop some rounds, she had almost taken an actual hit.

A Sudden knocking at the door caught Cirno's attention as unintelligible squawks and barks came from its other side. She wondered for a second why it didn't open, unit she noticed that when she froze the three aliens that had come in and fired on her, her freeze beam had frozen most of the door with them.

"Ugh, I'll have to go out there to take more of them out and see what they look like . . . but I'm not too keen on being shot as soon as the door opens. Hmm. AH I know!" Cirno exclaimed as she began concentrating. In a matter of seconds four of her six icicle wings shifted down to her legs and arms, and began growing, forming armour of ice around her arms and legs and then around the rest of her body. There was no mirror handy, but she figured she probably looked like a fearsome hulking mass of ice.

It was time to say hi!

Covered in armour of solid ice Cirno knew she would not be able to use ant of her Spellcards, but in turn her defence was nearly impervious, and she had massive spike like tips at the end of her arms made entirely of ice. With a heavy swing she smashed through the door, shattering the ice on it and tearing metal to pieces, and walked into the hallway. A squawking from her right made her turn to the noise, and she got her first look at the Aliens.

The two aliens before her looked strange. Their skin, carapace, scale? She wasn't sure what it was, but it had a weird almost metallic look to its grey blue color. The alien's legs were double joined, like a lizards or birds, and their face's had two weird things attached to its sides. They appeared to have only three fingers and toes if they clothing was anything to go by, and their heads had weird horns coming out of the back of their heads, horns that looked really weak compares to most she had seen.

The aliens barked something at her, inaudible due to the ice covering her body, and less than a second later they raised large smooth looking objects at her. They looked similar to chemical firearms or older Lunarian rifles she had seen, but as soon as they pulled their triggers she realised it was not so. flashes of blue were accompanied by tiny specks streaking across the distance between then, blue lines trailing behind the only proof the tiny flecks had even been fired. Cirno could feel them hitting the ice armour, but they appeared to be doing little to it.

Taking a step toward them, the aliens stepped backwards away from Cirno, their weapons firing nonstop at her. Each step she took they took one, or more back, keeping the distance between them. Then their weapons stopped firing, a jet of steam hissing out the sides of them as if broken, and Cirno took the chance as soon as she saw it. Lunging forward with a speed she hadn't used in front of them yet, her thick claws of ice swept through the air, catching the one alien across the chest, tearing through his armour and body. Blue blood splattered across Cirno's ice armour, and as the other alien fell back in horror Cirno stepped forward and crushed it under the weight of her ice Encased foot.

Then more aliens appeared at the end of the hall, firing incessantly at her while screaming something.

It was pathetic really. These aliens had the gall to attack Dai's unarmed ship so quickly, but they were crumbling before her so quickly it was hard to get a feel for their strength. As she stormed down the halls, crushing and slicing any alien she encountered she began to feel a draft through her armour, and it was clear they were finally doing something to it. But by this time, she had already made it to a door that the aliens had defended fiercely. One alien even tried clawing at her with the claws on its fingers, but it availed it nothing but broken nails before Cirno threw it backwards through the door.

Walking into what appeared to be the bridge Cirno saw a dozen of the aliens all pointing smaller versions of their guns at her, and they immediately fired until each and every one of their guns stopped working, hissing incessantly. Cirno smiled as she felt her ice armor finally crumbling and falling off her body. Watching the aliens shocked expression once it fully fell to pieces was great, though she couldn't tell if they were surprised, angry or unamused. In truth she didn't care though, she still had one last spell card she hadn't used in the interceptor.

"Ice Sign. Perfect Total Freeze!"

Aliens screamed and shrieked as waves of Ice, freezing wind and pure cold Radiated out from Cirno like ripples in a pond created by an avalanche, freezing everything they touched and turning the bland bridge into a winter wonderland of blue and white.

After a few seconds Cirno began walking around the bridge, climbing up to an upper level, only to find one alien stand up from behind a blocky structure holding a gun in his hands, the tips of his thin horns covered in permafrost.

He barked something as he began firing shot, after shot, after shot.

Cirno cringed as the pain assaulted her as the flecks its gun fired embedded into her arms and torso. Some were stopped by the suit, but others simply tore through it, though the alien did not aim at her head, leaving her to suffer through the pain until its gun overheated.

Sure that the alien was done Cirno grinned at it and lunged forward. "Sword freezer!" She called out, forming a large broadsword of ice in her hand, just in time to impale the alien's torso with it down to the handle.

The alien looked at Cirno as it fell to the floor, blue blood spilling out of its mouth as it tried to say something, until the timer on Cirno's suit began beeping.

Cirno smiled and made an explosion gesture with her hands as she gave into the pain its weapon had given her and fell backwards. She hit the floor and turned her head in pain to look at the alien and grinned.

The alien's mandibles spread in in an expression that spanned species.

Horror.

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"Sir, we've just come out of the relay. We should be able to see the Hunter's Pride shortly." The helmsman said to Desolas, who was standing behind him nervously.

Hearing the information Desolas let out an anxious sigh and let his shoulder slump a bit. he had spent the entirety of the transit through the relay looking over the data that Cathris had forwarded to the hierarchy, and the more he looked over it the more he wanted to see the original scans himself.

What interested him the most was the traces of an unknown energy that sat in space for a time after the ship was destroyed. It had been swathed in the energy before it had been destroyed, so was it energy from its engines? Its drive core? He wasn't sure about nearly anything beside the fact that it wasn't element zero, and the fact that some quick testing revealed it had a strange side effect with element zero. In some Simulation they would cancel the other out, and in others the strange energy seemed to eat away at the element zero until none was left. These were just simulations however; he needed to see the energy himself for his VI to accurately simulate their relation.

"Sir, we have a problem." A Female Officer called, bringing Desolas over to her station.

"What is it?"

"The Hunters Pride is sending out a repeated communication on all frequencies, it's heavily corrupted, or scramble, but you'll want to hear it." She said as she tapped a button on her console.

' rep . . . . . .. . .atta . . . . . . . . .impos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ble . . . defen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . board . . . . . . .crew . . . . . .all lost.'

"Spirits," Desolas muttered as he looked out the forward bridge windows. "Do we have a visual on the Hunters Pride? Are there any other contacts in the system?"

"Uh, no other contacts in system, bringing up a visual of the hunters pride now and- spirits!"

What appeared on the main screen in the bridge was not an image of the Hunters Pride as a proud ship of the Turian hierarchy, but the battered remains of a cripple animal. Her hull was covered in what looked like large masses of ice, and between the masses of ice her plating was horribly melted and mangled. Holes the size of pitted her hull in places, and her engines were a mass of flaming wreckage that floated behind the ship. Her rear loading bay looked like it had been hit by a missile, barely holding together with its emergency blast doors sealed shut, and it was clear there was a couple places that had vented atmosphere along her length. Even more worrying was the fact that the bridge's emergency blast shield had been dropped, and that half the guardian lasers on her had been destroyed, melted or impaled by giant spikes of ice.

This was not the effects of mass effect weaponry. This was not the aftermath of a Batarian raid, a comet, a solar flare, or anything else that anyone in council space had ever seen. It was something that seemed impossible out of concept, yet was sitting in front of them as if mocking everything they ever knew.

Desolas cleared his throat and spoke, though his tone was full of worry and fear that everyone could hear. "What is the Hunters Prides situation?"

"Um. . . . . Kinetic barriers are down. Hull integrity at thirty six percent. Guardian lasers are offline, and it looks like . . . . Only forty percent are operable. Hull breeches on . . . nearly every deck. Their mas effect core is registering at seventy percent integrity and slowly falling!"

"Spirits. We'll send out a boarding party to-" Desolas began to say.

"Sir, there's one last thing, there's that energy from the hunters pride's previous scan. On the hunters pride!"

"Where is it located?"

"Right beside the mass effect core. It's so large I almost couldn't locate its core and-"The officer was interrupted as a massive shockwave rattled the ship.

Looking back at the visual Desolas found a massive sphere of emery engulfing the hunters pride, shifting into every color of the spectrum so fast he could make out every color at once. Beside, and partially engulfed by the massive chromatic explosion was a smaller bright blue sphere, a common effect when a mass effect drive core went critical and exploded. the explosion stayed for a couple of full seconds before disappearing as quickly at it came, leaving only tiny fragments of debris floating where the hunters pride had been, the chromatic explosion having vaporized everything it touched.

When a mass effect drive core went critical or was punctured by an accelerate shell, the effect was catastrophic, an explosion that often ripped a ship in half. There was always wreckage though, as the explosion from a drive core was chaotic and basically a massive gravitational and electrical surge focused in one area. They were terrifying to witness, but there were always remains of the ship, a way to tell what happened, and sometimes even crew that could survive it if in far reaches of the ship.

This looked like nothing like it, and Desolas had to hold himself back from choking on his next words.

"M-move in and search the debris for anything. Survivors, some inkling as to what happened. We need to report this to the Hierarchy, but we need information to do that!"

Every crew member sprung to work, two thoughts filling their minds. Hope for survivors, and the fact that the hierarchy, was not going to like this.

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 **Codex**

 **WristComp -** The (barely) shortened, Wrist computer or wristComp, is a device common to the alliance. Lunarian Nanotech made it possible to create far smaller computes, and most people have them in some form or another. WristComp's can be utilized for various functions and some captains of ships have been known to anchor parts of their ships controls directly to their WristComp. Despite their fragile look WristComps are hardy and can take decent punishment for their looks, making many people far less averse to bringing them out in a combat situation.

 **Alliance Command / Military Structure –** The alliance's Command structure, when compared to historical earth, or council Command structures is very odd. Designed to be fluid and versatile, Operatives can take command of units as they see fit and units can be folded into other units, attached to them, or split apart as need be. This is able to be done both because of training and the intrinsic mentality of many youkai that has seeped into the rest of the alliance.

Operatives cannot just take over any form of group however and those they can command are decided by their class, and individual capabilities that are noted in their operative Bio's (See below for the first one to see what is meant.)

 **(Decided it might be an idea to start dropping character Bio's into these codex's, both for those who are less ingrained in Touhou project, and to show how they have adapted over the years of the alliance.)**

Operative Bio – Cirno

Name: Cirno (No family name.)

Race: Youkai – Fairy.

Gender: Female.

Age: Not applicable – Fairy's do not age. Physically looks to be late teens.

Power rank: C (low C)

Class: 2

Class Specifics: Works best with other fairy's. Is unable to lead non fairy's planet side and is considered Class 3 unless commanding other Fairy's.

Powers. Manipulation / Creation of ice and cold. limited flight (difficulty flying higher than 30feet for extended periods.) Fairy Resurrection.

Capabilities/skills: Highly skilled piloting skills for single person craft (fighter, interceptor) Captain skills (crew must be fairy's)

Bio: An Ice Fairy that originally hails from Gensokyo's misty lake, she now is tethered to the forests of New Eden as her home. Taking an older appearance to match the experiences she gained from alliance military training, Cirno is surprisingly powerful and skilled in piloting single pilot craft, and leading a limited crew of Fairy's as captain. Her arrogance over her power is second to none, and only backed up by her resurrection as a fairy. She is the only fairy who is an operative, but until recently has done little with the rank itself.

 **Authors continued note: okay, so the pilot suits are base off the ones in Muv Luv total eclipse. If you have no idea what that is, search it up, or go to konachan and put this in the search bar and it will take you directly to the perfect picture for its design look, not its exact colors. id:78003**


	4. CH4 Incoming invasion

**Authors note: Alright and away we go! More Desolas, more techy stuff, and a number of names we should all know and love/hate.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(maybe i should start naming chapters)**

Desolas Arterius Stepped out of the office of General Tathid Arcrus, a datapad in his claw, informing him of his demotion.

The Turian hierarchy prided itself on those of ranks having the skills to do the job. If someone was promoted and was unable to do the job, they were rarely if ever blamed for this, and the fault instead lay with the one who awarded them their promotion.

Direct demotion however was a different story. When a Turian failed his or her job or role so spectacularly that others could only see it as their fault. Desolas Considered himself a good Turian who followed the rules and always did what he considered was best while obeying them. he could not however, just accept the fact that he was to blame for what happened, he could not accept that he was being demoted so severely, or that his demotion was also applying to his crew, people whom he had earned trust and respect from, people who looked up to him.

The entire situation simply disgusted him, and he was showing it as he stormed down the halls toward the room where his crew was awaiting him.

He had been demoted from the captain of a Turian cruiser, to nothing more than the captain of a ground force platoon. His men, brave and good people who did their jobs, had been demoted alongside him, down to nothing more than the common foot soldiers that they all had started out as.

The reason for the mass demotion was very simply explained as the loss of the Hunters pride. His ship was supposed to reinforce the position, so when it was destroyed before he arrived, the blame was shifted to him. The information he brought back from sifting through the wreckage earned neither him, nor his crew anything, and all of them suffered for something they had no control over.

What made the situation truly terrible though was the fact that Desolas had been shown the Hunters Pride's crew roster while being told of his demotion, and of the new situation. A Tarus Arcrus sat on the list, right beside an Enelia Remus. General Tathid's son, and Primarch Fedorian's daughter.

The general told him that he and his crew would be joining the ground assault on the yet unfound Alien world responsible for the destruction of the Hunters pride, that they would be found, subdued and made into a client race of the hierarchy to join the galactic community. He said it was for their own good, but the name of his son and Fedorians daughter on the Hunters pride Crew Roster made one thing brutally clear to Desolas.

The general and Primarch were not pushing this for the good of the galaxy, the good of the hierarchy, or for the safety of all council species. They were pushing this for revenge!

Revenge was not something unfamiliar to the Turian people, but it was left out of military actions and choices as it blurred the ability to rationalize and make sound decisions, yet here were two of the highest ranked Turians in the Hierarchy, preparing for full scale war because of that one very same thing.

It infuriated Desolas more than he thought possible.

As Desolas opened the door to the room where his crew was, he could see them all anxiously waiting for their new orders. Orders that he had to pass them. Orders that would destroy their careers for years. Orders he was responsible for.

"Ah, captain, have our new orders arrived?" A Female Turian officer named Orinia asked, making many follow suit and look to Desolas for the answer.

It was an answer he did not want to give.

"The orders are-" Deslas stopped midsentence as he looked again at his crew, looking at him expectantly. They had thought they had done well, going so far to as even being back all the pieces of wreckage of the Hunters Pride. "I have failed you." Desolas eventually said in a final tone as he passed Orinia the datapad he held limply in his claws.

Orinia took it and looked it over, others looking over her shoulders to read it alongside her. All there mandibles spread in surprise as they blinked and likely read it again, unable to believe what they were reading. The datapad was then silently passed around so that every crew member could see it, and once it came back to Orinia after nearly a half hour of being passed around, she held it out to Desolas.

Desolas took the datapad and sighed. "This is my fault. I take full responsibility for it. You all may think of me however you like."

In response every member of Desolas's crew formed lines of rank before him and stood at perfect attention. Once ready, Orinia, who acted as their ships Executive officer, saluted to Desolas, and every member of his crew mirrored the action, their eyes showing they were filled with conviction, not dread.

"Sir," Orinia began to say as she took a step forward. "You have been our captain, and have been nothing but fair and honest with each and every one of us. We respect and do not blame you for anything. In fact we look forward to continuing to serve alongside you, be it in a ship, or on the ground!"

Every Turian stamped a clawed foot to the ground as if to amplify Orinia's words.

"It was my words, my orders that brought us here!" Desolas argued in shock, silently amazed and proud that his crew, his people, could act so in front of him when he was responsible for the situation.

"Sir, if I may, you are not responsible for the situation. Captain Virek and General Tathid are, sir!" Orinia stated, no one moving to argue her words.

Orinia's words made Desolas realize that all of them understood the situation and had come to the same conclusion he had. "You all believe he and the Primarch are more motivated by revenge then?" He asked, for the first time in years, vocally downplaying a superior officer.

"YES SIR!" Everyone in the room replied at once, making Desolas shake in surprise.

Desolas Smiled. "You all do me a service I cannot ever repay, but I swear to you, while we move forward and serve the hierarchy, we will also find a way to make the general suffers for his abuse of power! This I swear to you by the spirits and the name of Palaven!"

"Sir, thank you sir. But we should begin preparations." Orinia said seriously.

"You are right. " Desolas agreed. "You have all seen our orders. Prepare yourselves and meet at the docks in four hours. Then we shall be folded into the third ground battalion. Dismissed!"

Desolas watched as his crew, his people, the men and woman who respected and still trusted him left the room to prepare for their next assignment, their joining of the future assault on the unknown alien species. He however had his mind on other things

How to fix the situation.

How to survive against these new aliens.

And how to make General Tathid pay for doing this to his crew!

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General Williams walked down a street of Xi'an, Shanxi's Capitol City, with hawk like eyes, judging and surveying everything that he saw. General Williams was an imposing man, built like a truck and unwilling to waver. He respected and trusted his people though, and many loved him as their superior for his honest and equal treating of all people. Those who didn't know this however were leery of him due to the large scar that ran from his forehead down across his right eye to the base of his chin. The first 'gift' he got from his wife when they first met.

Shanxi was to become a warzone. This information was common knowledge now, and it was clear, both in the way Williams held himself, and in the surroundings of Xi'an. Being informed of the oncoming offensives and the support that would arrive first was enlightening, and he cities defences were being organized both according to his own, and to Operative Hinanai's directives.

Williams had never met Tenshi Hinnanai, known to most simply as the Eldest Daughter of the Celestials, before the information about the offensive had been given to him. Within a half day of the information being received she had contacted him. The Audio only conversation had been brief but enlightening, and had partially decided upon how Shanxi's defences would be organized.

Outlying Towns and smaller cities spaces around Shanxi would fortify and hold themselves. In the case of destruction they would either willingly surrender to cause havoc within enemy camps, or travel secretly to Xi'an to reinforce it.

Xi'an was to be the main focus of all combat. Built into the side of a mountain range, the city was highly defensible. The Town hall was designed to double as a fortress that could look out over the whole city and was defended by dozens of anti-air beam emitter batteries to protect it and the mid-sized landing platform that had once been a mountain top that sat behind it.

Coming out of the Town hall, the city was designed in circles. Circles that were now being fortified, closed off, blocked, altered and shaped to suit the future battlefield. The city, while it had numerous entrances, was being reshaped to make only three pathways to the town hall. There were to be three defensive layers to it, and if one layer fell it would retreat and reinforce the one behind it. With only three pathways on the ground, alien forces would be forced to move directly into their lines of fire, and the traps that Xi'an's citizens were setting up all across the city.

If the aliens did come, they would have to work for every inch of ground and speck of dirt they stepped upon! Each step would put them under fire, and each meter they took would end more of their lives. The city was being turned into a meat grinder for alien flesh!

"General Williams, sir!"

Williams turned to find a man he respected standing before him, Captain David Anderson, a Magician with the alliance who was stationed to Shanxi. He was young man, but skilled with the magic he knew and understanding of his own limitations.

"Anderson, what do you need?" Williams asked calmly as he turned his body to Anderson.

"I'm here to give you this." David said as he handed Williams a couple of papers. "Details on the defence preparation situation. It's going well for the most part, though some areas are behind.

"That was expected." Williams said as he flipped the pages, quickly looking them over with a neutral gaze that told nothing of his inner thoughts. "This is good, thank you. What are you doing at the moment?"

"Kahlee, Jack and Eva are helping to fortify and trap the outer east barricades. I was going to head over and help them."

Williams smirked a bit at the names. Names of people he knew were skilled, and were personal friends of Williams.

Like Anderson, Jack harper was a human magician of great skill and prowess, and one of David's best friends. Unlike David, Jack had an unbridled rage that he could tap that allowed him to cast seemingly nonstop, though it was difficult for him to manage. It was considered an asset given to him by his youkai grandfather, though he himself was not considered a half youkai as both his parents had been human.

Eva Core was a youkai who was close to jack. A Gorgon who was intelligent and quick on the uptake, able to react to events around her often faster than others, though her reaction themselves could lean toward the extreme, as could her inclination to melee combat.

Lastly Kahlee sanders, a long-time friend of David. A girl of human and Lunarian parents, she was calm, careful, and very capable of beating anyone around her in reflexes and accuracy with any firearm. Her appearance was normal, but her personality was a food foil to David, and an excellent mirror to Jack and Eva.

If the four of them were in one place together, chances were that shit was going to get done, and get done right and quick.

"Alright, please do. That barricade has been the slowest to get constructed and we do not truly know how much time we have to prepare. Just be careful if we get attacked. I don't want you all getting stuck behind enemy lines or captured, understand?"

"Yes sir!" David replied as he bowed to Williams before tuning and running off down the street.

"You quiet like him, don't you?"

"Yes, he is skilled, and in a way he reminds me of my younger self." Williams replied as he turned to the voices owner.

Standing before him was a youkai woman with short ruffled green hair. She carried an umbrella open over her shoulder, and was wearing a muted Red plaid one piece dress that, despite her large pregnant stomach, still looked amazing on her. She was one of the most powerful Youkai on Shanxi, and Williams's wife, Yuuka Kazami and looked at him with Red eyes that were filled with power.

"Not always a bad thing. He certainly is full of energy though." Yuuka said with a smile as she walked up to Williams side.

"It's good to be so full of energy. But what about you?"

Yuuka suddenly gripped Williams shoulder, pulling him down with one hand until his head was level with her stomach. "Roger, I told you to not worry. I am fine, she is fine, and she is not a difficulty. I'd hardly be able to be considered a rank S Youkai if a little thing like pregnancy was able to keep me down!"

"R-Right, sorry." Williams said with an embarrassed look painting his face as Yuuka let go, allowing him to stand again. "There's a lot on my mind."

"Yes there is. So you should be happy to know that I've finished my little project."

"You are?"

"Yes, our intelligence shall be far greater, and the Aliens will have many surprises waiting for them!"

"That's good to know. One less thing to worry about." Williams said with a heavy sigh.

"What is worrying you the most? Besides imminent alien invasion and the potential loss of infrastructure, and life of course."

Williams let out a sigh. "Lady Hinnanai's eventual arrival, and the Preparation Lady Kamishirasawa and Scarlet are doing." Williams admitted. "I was about to head over to the Scarlet residence to see how it was going actually."

"I see. Then I shall accompany you. I am curious considering Keine and Flandre are working together."

"It's to protect the Cities children and give them a sense or normalcy I have been told." Williams said as he and Yuuka walked down the street his gaze drifting upwards. "I just hope we get some more information before it all goes to hell."

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A Black and Purple tinted Hole Spread open beside a Holocomm Unit in an empty room, and a second late Yukari Yakumo stepped out of it her Sukima, or Gap as many people called them, it closing behind her. Stepping up to the HoloComm unit she tapped it lightly, and the forms of Hackett and Kaguya appeared around the unit, both of them looking like they had been having a conversation until her arrival.

"I hope I am not intruding, or made you wait too long." Yukari said softly. "There was some minor business I had to take care of before this."

"It is no trouble, we did not wait long." Hackett said quickly with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"We were merely discussing the situation with each other." Kaguya added with a smirk. "Maybe now that you are here we can decide upon things."

Yukari ignored Kaguya's jab and nodded. "I agree. Has R&D been able to look over the information Operative Cirno acquired yet?"

"Yes. I have them on a side line if we'd like to hear the information directly from them. Otherwise I have the information in short form with me." Kaguya explained.

"Connect them then. I'd prefer the full spectrum of information. Nothing good comes when you lazily leave bits of information out." Hackett said simply, not meaning any insult to Kaguya with his words or tone.

A second later, the form of Nitori Kawashiro appeared, looking very nervous and fiddling with what appeared to be a wrench. She also did not appear to realize she was connected to the call immediately as she continued to fiddle with the wrench absently.

" . . . . Nitori." Yukari said after a few moments, causing Nitori to look up and see them.

She instantly panicked, dropping her wrench, picking it up and stowing it away hastily. "Ah, I- I apologize I mean, I um-"

"Deep breaths. Calm down and then speak." Yukari said with a smile.

Nitori did as Yukari suggested for a few seconds and then sighed. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for." Hackett said simply. "You would not be the first to get flustered from speaking with us directly."

"Indeed. But business." Kaguya said with a smirk. "Your group were the ones to look over the interceptor's data, and I know you had sent me a simplified version, but please tell us what you have discovered about the aliens technologies."

"Of course." Nitori said with a slight bow as she tapped her console, bringing up a holographic image of the enemy ship that Cirno had engaged two days before. "The enemy ship that Cirno engaged appeared to be a mid-weight ship, a cruiser we believe, that topped out at almost 450meters in length. When Cirno engaged it the system noticed two primary weapon systems aboard it. A large main gun that was unable to target Cirno due to the interceptors speed, and numerous Small turreted laser weapons that targeted her, or tried to."

"Optical lasers? Like ours then?" Hackett quickly asked.

"No, not quite. These lasers were ultraviolet, not visible, and are a far lower output frequency and power than our own combat grade lasers. We at R&D believe that these lasers are meant to form a network to protect against fighter craft by melting and damaging enemy fighters, forcing them to break off the attack."

"And how much damage did they do to the interceptor?"

"Minimal. They seared some plating, but that was it. The interceptor's ability to quickly change direction, and the amount of fire it was losing at the alien's cruiser made it difficult for the enemy laser turrets to get an accurate lock on the interceptor. We believe that against their own style of ships, or ships that use similar technology to their own however that they would be effective."

"Technology similar to their own." Yukari said with a smile. "So how different is our own technology then?"

"Very. The alien's ships plating was, average I guess, but what is most interesting is their main gun and their shielding. Their shielding was more a barrier than a shield. It blocked the interceptors beam weapons and Cirno's icicle machine gun, but did not stop the lasers. It only blocked the occasional pulse due to the magnetic field unravelling prematurely."

"So they block kinetic weaponry but not energy?" Kaguya asked with a smirk. "I thought our beam weapons utilized energy as well though?"

"They do." Nitori answered quickly. "However beam weapons were designed specifically for anti-armour purposes without using heat. They push high energy particle matter in a constant stream to cut through whatever they strike, and have a substantial kinetic value because of this."

"This is good information to know." Hackett mused as he tapped the hologram, spinning it a bit. "So our beams were blocked by their barrier then. How powerful was their barrier? Do we know how easily we can punch through them?"

"Cirno managed to break their barrier before initiating her kamikaze attack that pushed her into the enemy's ship core. R&D Believes that a sustained barrage from any weapons with kinetic value should break them easily enough. Higher level magic with kinetic values could break them far faster, potentially."

"Ah, that's right; a lot of magic has kinetic value. Hmmm, will the mage fleet still be a good option then?" Hackett wondered aloud.

"It will be fine." Yukari said with a causal wave of her hand as she leaned forward and looked at the hologram, it now showing where Cirno had flown her ship to. "What is this sphere in the enemy ship?"

"The basis for the ships travel technology. Our scans of it were limited due to damage to the interceptor. But it matches earlier energy scans and appears to be a massive core for utilizing element zero gravity fields."

"Element zero . . . . " You mean the element we found in the Prothean vault?" Hackett asked carefully.

"Yes, the very same. Element zero can be charger electrically to produce gravity fields that can make things lighter than they should be. We believe that is how these aliens achieve space travel, by making their ships lighter to travel faster. It's also the basis behind the ships man gun, a Railgun augmented by such a gravity field to achieve higher velocity and kinetic striking power."

"So they are using railgun technology for their ships main guns then. They simply move a bit faster due to being lighter." Hackett said with a shake of his head. "What a waste of resources."

"I agree." Kaguya said as she looked back to Nitori. "How likely is it that their infantry forces and ground based armor use a similar or same technology?"

"Cirno reported that the aliens fired on her with weapons that fired sand sized bits of metal, surrounded by blue fields. We believe it's the exact same principle, but smaller. Until we acquire a weapon of the aliens though we won't be able to say exactly how thy work, just that they do fire kinetic rounds by acceleration by gravity fields."

"The aliens ship core. What would happen if it was punctured?" Yukari suddenly asked, noting how close Cirno's ship was to it.

Nitori seemed to notice this as she answered. "It would be explosive if it was directly pierced. The interceptor grazed it while landing and that led to it destabilizing over time. If the interceptor's reactor had not been pushed critical, it likely would have exploded on its own and possibly ripped the ship in half. These, gravity cores, are less powerful than our own MAGTECH Reactors though, and the interceptor's reactor removed the majority of the ship from existence when it blew. We believe that these gravity cores would simply rip a ship in half, messily."

"This is good information. Though I doubt many of our spells or beams could pierce to them in a couple hits, a long term focused beam might be able to reach them then. Something to consider for a tactic." Hackett mused.

"Perhaps but we believe that while Cirno was able to break the enemy barrier, they may be able to cycle and recharge themselves as our Graze Shielding can*. A better tactic might just be to overwhelm them with volume of fire, or crippling external systems like their main gun and engines."

"They would still have their core though."

"Yes, but it appears that that is used only for long distance travel and sustaining their gravity field we believe. The ship has external engines similar, though weaker than our own, that is propelled by some other element. Our scans picked up Helium three stored on the ship near the engines, so we think they use it as fuel." Nitori explained as calmly as she could.

"So, you are saying their ships use one system for short range movement, and another for long range movement, and that these methods are completely separate?" Yukari asked.

"Yes. They use their engines to move Subluminally, and their Gravity core to move Superluminally. The ship is however always surrounded by a Gravity field that make it lighter than it would appear to be. We might be able to use that to our advantage."

"How so?" Hackett asked with interest.

"Their field encompasses the whole ship like a bubble. If their barrier is punctured then our kinetic attacks can hit them, but the gravity field is still there. Anything that enters the field has its mass decreased, and kinetic rounds in transit that lose mass often increase in speed. We confirmed this when Cirno's icicle machine gun managed to slip though and struck its hull and turrets with such force that they pierced right though them far deeper than they normally would."

"So kinetic attacks will hit them slightly harder because of their own field?" Hackett asked in surprise.

"It is possible." Nitori answered as she zoomed the hologram in on the back loading by where Cirno had crashed. "The real potential is kinetic damage. The interceptor was deigned to take more punishment than a regular fighter. When it entered the field while firing its weapons, its weight was decreased and its speed increased by roughly seventy three percent for a half second. This sudden speed increase is what allowed it to break through so many levels of the ship and eventually embed in the ships gravity core room. To put it simply, kamikaze attacks or another ship ramming it, should prove far more dangerous and surprising than they expect as their field will grant our own ships increased speed right before impact."

"Interesting. Do you know why they would allow such a thing?" Kaguya asked.

"I don't think they realize it. If all ships in their culture use railguns as weapons, they likely rarely if ever get in range to use such tactics."

"More things to consider then." Hackett said with a grin as he looked it over and realized something. "If kinetic rounds hit harder, will the gravity field affect other weapons as well?"

"To an extent. We discovered that lasers and beams are unaffected by it. Pulse cannons however were affected. The magnetic containment was unravelled a couple times, making them explode prematurely. It only happened with twenty percent of Cirno's shots, but it's still a good amount. Also, it would probably mess with a significant number of magic attacks. It is possible that the change of gravity would affect their cohesion, making them impact with less power, or drift, making them less accurate in the last few seconds."

"Hmm, so small amounts of magic may be blocked or miss, but large volumes will likely not notice a difference." Yukari said with a smile.

"That is correct." Nitori said as she changed the hologram to a video feed from the interceptor. it showed the inside of the room that Cirno had crashed inside. As she climbed out, aliens came into view, right before being frozen on reflex by Cirno. Nitori paused and back up the video, giving a clear image of the aliens in question. "Next then, is the aliens themselves."

"They look strange. Are they coved in plates?" Hackett asked in worry.

"No. after Cirno froze them the interceptor was able to scan them, though it was difficult due to the layers of ice. What we have currently is simple, but still interesting. They are bipedal with double joint digitigrade legs making them appear either avian or reptilian in nature. Their hands and feet are both tipped with claws, and their skin has trace amounts of Thulium in their skin. We believe this might be an evolution for radiation protection, but cannot say for sure."

"What of those, horns on the backs of their heads?" Kaguya asked as she poked at the hologram.

"We are not entirely sure honestly. They could be a form of ears, or simply what is left of horns from evolution. It is possible it is simply like our hair, and serves no survival function anymore."

"So, in short, we have an avian or possibly reptilian species of warmongering aliens from a world with high radiation, and who utilize prothean technology like it's going out of style." Kaguya said with a giggle, muffled as she put a sleeve in front of her mouth. "Oh Eirin will love this."

"Yes. There is one last thing though." Nitori said as she played the recording to the point where Cirno was covered in ice and smashed through the door. It was difficult to see, but out the door they could see two of the aliens, surrounded by faint blue fields, just before Cinro's ice sliced and bludgeoned through them. "It appears these aliens have some form of their kinetic barriers for personal as well. However velocity seems to play a key role in weather or not something can be blocked by it, as Cirno's strike bypassed it without slowing."

"So melee combat will not be an issue. good." Hackett said finally.

"Agreed. If that is everything you have to report Nitori, who from R&D will be going to Shanxi with our forces?"

"Sanae has volunteered to go as our armour expert, Rinnosuke as our weapons expert."

"Eirin has also expressed interest in going, so she will be joining them as a biologist." Kaguya added.

Yukari nodded as a beeping from her console drew her gaze for a moment, Turing her smile to a frown.

"What is it?" Hackett asked quickly.

"Nothing. That is all Nitori, thank you." Yukari said as she forcibly closed Nitori's line and looked to Hackett. "How is the preparation of our forces going?"

"All forces are prepped on New Eden and preparing to embark. Kirisame's dreadnought still has not arrived but is expected to within the hour. Embarking all of our troops will take roughly half a day. Then it is another half day to Shanxi by boundary slip and likely another half day to unload over the planet. Why?"

"Because, I just got a report from a Fairy light cruiser scouting for the aliens; they were discovered almost immediately by an alien's cruiser when they left a relay and then were destroyed. The Aliens likely now know which way they need to go to find us. They will be arriving at Shanxi soon!"

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Codex –

 **Graze Shield** \- Graze shielding is a starship technology that protects ships from attacks. Pressing close to the ships shape itself, graze shielding can block attacks that his almost directly, and attacks that hit at a higher angle are simply deflected away. This means shots must be more numerous, or more accurate to damage the shielding and punch through. Graze shielding is segmental, meaning it is divided into groups or segments across the ship. Shielding loss on one spot of the ship does not mean it is necessarily lost on others, though some damage to the shields will travel across segments to mitigate its total damage.

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Bio – Nitori

Name: Nitori Kawashiro

Race: Youkai – Kappa

Gender: Female

Age: exact age unknown. Appears early twenties. confirmed over 160 years old.

Power rank: D

Powers: Ability to control water.

Capabilities/skills: high level technical and mechanical skills.

Bio: a Kappa who has pursued the mechanical and technological since before the breaking of the boundary, Nitori as highly skilled at making and understanding machinery. She had managed to make a complete electrical system, a nuclear power plant, and other technological marvels from outside Gensokyo without any assistance.

Nitori does not work as an operative, preferring to keep her job as a mechanic in the alliance R&D.


	5. CH5 Invasion - Planetfall

General Tathid Arcrus stared out the window of his dreadnaughts bridge with a smile. An alien scout ship had come out of a relay, and confirmed the way his forces had needed to go to find these barbaric aliens. And now, barely twelve hours later, his forces, his armada, his revenge, was floating toward the planet of the aliens themselves, fully prepared to unleash the Hierarchies power upon them and bring them under their control as a client race.

The planet itself was beautiful, a garden world that even from far away, seemed cloaked in green and blue. It was far too good for such a barbaric species. It would serve a much better purpose under the Hierarchies control.

"General, we've detected about a dozen Ships orbiting the planet, moving to an intercept course." An officer on the bridge said coolly.

Tathid turned to him for a second and did the Turian equivalent of a smile. "How large are these ships?"

"220 meters in length sir." came the reply.

"Small cruisers or frigates then. What can you tell about them?"

"No mass effect fields, no element zero signature at all. They are releasing an unknown energy signature though. The same one that was responsible for the destruction of the Hunters pride."

"Good, these are them then." Tathid growled as he brought up the space between them on his tactical overview screen. There was little need for tactics in this situation. He had two dreadnaughts and nearly one hundred cruisers and frigates. He would control the skies over the planet, and his ground forces would surge forward on the ground, taking these aliens paltry defences down stone by stone. "All ships pick targets and prepare to fire on my mark. I don't want them getting even a single volley off!"

The bridge became a cacophony of noise as dozens of officers began putting coordinates into their computers and preparing the follow his orders. Only a couple thousand kilometers, that was all until he would give the word to fire.

"Sir, the aliens ships are acting strangely." an officer suddenly called out, his tone confused ad worried.

"How so. What are they doing? Have they broken off?"

"No sir, they haven't slowed at all, in fact they've accelerated!"

This struck Tathid as strange. Against such an overwhelming force as his own it would be normal for some ships to try to turn and flee; and for others to begin hailing them and surrendering. The only ones in history who would charge directly toward such an overwhelming force were the krogan during the rebellions. The thought made him shiver for a half a second. No, it was impossible. There was no way these aliens were like the Krogan. And even if they were, they would have no chance. "What is their heading, and how long until all ships are in firing range?"

"They appear to be on . . . collision headings with our larger heavy cruisers sir. Time until all ships in range, thirty seconds."

"On, collision course?" Tathid said in surprise to no one in particular. The idea of such a small ship committing suicide attacks on ships so much larger, and better armed, was nearly comical. Did these aliens have a death wish?

"Sir the Aliens ships have opened fire!"

"What?!" Arcrus said in surprise as he looked to the screen, showing strange short green bursts of light, entire volleys of them, flying from the enemy ships to his own that were closest to them. It was surprising, but he ignored the strange color as he checked his console, making his eyes widen in surprise. His own ships were still out of range, and would be for the next couple seconds. "impossible. How much damage are we sustaining?"

"Minimal damage sir. ships report less than two percent hull integrity lost!"

"Good that's . . . waiting, hull integrity? What about our kinetic barriers!?"

"Sir, ships report that their Barriers are still fully operational. The enemy weapons appear to be bypassing them!"

Arcrus froze in realization, a realization he did not want to admit. The alien's ships weapons attacks looked it, but now there was no other option as to what they were.

Direct energy weapons.

Even Guardian lasers were not direct. They had difficulty destroying ships on their own, and there purpose was to damage, not destroy. The Salarians had been trying to create direct energy weapons for years without success, and now here was a species that had no understanding of element zero, and yet had managed to create energy weapons!

"Sir, all ships in firing range, sir!"

"Good, Fire!" Arcrus said with a sudden vindictive rage. These barbaric aliens would feel the full might of the hierarchy, and once they did, and were made into a client race under the Turians, where the belonged. He would take the secret of their energy weapons, and it would another accolade for his career.

Immediately as the words left his mouth, blue shots flew through the void out toward the enemy ships. They traveled fast and straight, seeming unable to miss the enemy hips that continued to move forward.

Until the alien ships suddenly shifted, darted in each and every direction at once like a swarm of insects, seeming to avoid every single mass accelerator round!

"Status, how many did we hit?" Arcrus asked carefully, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"u-unsure sir. The VI's are saying that some shells hit, but that they, were deflected. there's one confirmed hit that exploded on impact."

"I see. To the spirits with a single barrage then. All ships fire at will! Take them down with everything we have!"

"Everything sir?"

"Yes everything! Mass accelerators, Missiles, Launch our fighter craft if we have to! But take them down!"

"Sir, is that a good idea?" one officer said as he stood up and looked at Arcrus. "If they have more ships then-"

" Impossible. Look at the way those ships fight, they are frantic, terrified! This I clearly their home world! Once we take these ships down, we will have orbital superiority to take their world! Now fire at will!"

Within seconds every ship in the fleet began firing all their weapons, filling the void with a saturation of fire few specie since the krogan had ever witnessed. In comparison the Aliens ships themselves put up quiet a wall of fire, but it was chaotic and uncontrolled, hardly doing anything to his ships. then Arcrus saw an explosion on his screen and smiled. One ship down. Then another. And another.

"Sir, the Aliens ships are getting closer to our own ships. They still appear on Collision courses while they try to dodge our fire!"

"So they still intend to commit one final last stand. Commendable, but fruitless. Bring them down before they reach us!" Arcrus commanded with an inward smirk. Their direct energy weapons were a surprise, but they appeared to do little to his ships, and now he was tearing them to pieces!

"Sir, the remaining seven alien ships have picked up speed again! Their Releasing higher levels of the strange energy as well!"

"What?" Arcrus exclaimed in surprise. He could understand there speed picking up once if they hadn't been going full speed, but how did they manage to do so again, unless they had not been going full speed? They had lost nearly all of their forces and only now they went full speed? Were they unaware of the battlefields state? Or simply ignorant to the meaning of what was happening?

"I-it keeps going up!" An officer suddenly exclaimed, sounding like he was, afraid? It was not an emotion Turians showed often, and Arcrus had rarely seen or dealt with it himself.

"What keeps going up?" Arcrus asked in worry at what the officer would say.

"Their speed and power levels." The officer said. "all the ships, their speed, and the energy level coming of them keep increasing steadily!"

"Our guns are having trouble hitting them!" Another officer suddenly called out. "The VI"s cannot accurately target them!"

"But that shouldn't be-" Arcrus was going to finish with the word impossible, until something truly impossible happened before him.

Directly ahead of his own ship was a heavy cruiser, firing incessantly on the aliens ships. Then one of the ships ducked around its main gun and crashed right into it. For a moment nothing more than some outer plating damage seemed the problem, until the Aliens ship Explode in a mass of Colors that covered half the heavy cruiser, blinding and shocking everyone that witnessed it.

A moment later the chromatic blast died down and disappeared and half the cruiser was missing, completely gone as if it had been vaporized.

"That is-" Arcrus tried to say as his mind processed what happened. It only took a second for the real realization to hit him however. The aliens ships energy had increased because it must have pushed whatever its power source was too critical! "All ships, Destroy them now! Do not let them get close to you!"

"Too late sir! Their too fast! Ones on top of us!" An officer called before a massive blast shook the whole ship, nearly dropping Arcrus to his knees.

"D-damage report, now!" Arcrus managed to say as he stood fully up and looked around anxiously.

"Uh, our main gun managed to hit the enemy ship before it got to us." An officer said as they looked over their console. "Barriers are at seventy percent, hull integrity at eighty four. Our power is nominal, as are all weapons but our main gun."

"It was damaged?" Arcrus asked.

"No sir, the VI says that the end of it was caught in the blast. It was mere meters away from consuming more of the ship as well. We got of luckily considering the power of those explosions."

"Spirits." Arcrus muttered as he looked to see no more fire in the void beyond them. "Have all enemy contacts been eliminated?"

"Yes sir. Five of them collided and exploded with our ships. Two ships heavily damaged, our own lightly damaged. Two Cruisers destroyed no survivors or life pods on scanners."

The bridge was quiet for many seconds as the words sunk into everyone's heads and hearts. Two cruisers completely destroyed. Nearly nine hundred men and women between both ships.

"There are no more contacts in the system?" Arcrus asked carefully.

"No sir."

"Does the planet have any orbital defences?"

"Not in orbit sir. We're not detecting any ground based anti-ship guns either. But our scans are having difficulty detecting much at this distance."

"I see. Move us around the planet and tell all ground forces to prepare to disembark. Once we have more accurate scans of the planet, we begin the invasion!"

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"By the spirits, are you seeing this?" Orinia asked as she and many others of Desolas's Platoon looked out a window and at screens from their omnitools, depicting the damage done by the alien ships suicide runs.

"I can see it." Desolas said sourly. "I'm not sure if I should be impressed or terrified. Twelve ships sacrificed to cripple two of our own and destroy two others. I can't tell if these aliens are desperate or insane."

"It could be both." Orinia suggested. "They probably think they are protecting themselves too."

"They are. Virek attacked first, and they responded. Now the Hierarchy is responding to their response. I fear this will get far bloodier than the general believes."

"I agree. . . . Your omni tool is beeping."

Desolas looked at his claw to see his omnitool flashing, alerting him to an incoming call. Bringing his arm up he tapped it, and a screen with another Turian, very similar in shape and looks to Desolas appeared on it.

"Desolas, I've been trying to get a hold of you. Where are you?"

"Saren," Desolas Greeted with a nod. "I'm sure you heard of my, Demotion. I'm on the Palavens Might. Part of the ground forces for this invasion."

"It's not an invasion brother, it a police action. These aliens broke citadel law and now must be shown what happens." Saren replied in a very strong and sure tone.

"Hardly. What is this about though brother?"

"I'm on the eye of might, with the Cabals that are joining the action. I know you were demoted, but I've got understanding and good superiors here. I can ask them to have you and your unit put where it's needed, instead of stuck at the back guarding camp like the general is probably going to do to you."

Desolas smiled. Here was his little brother, trying to cover for him and help him recover from the demotion. It was nice, but Desolas knew what his brother was like. He honestly believed what he had said about a police action. He saw it as nothing but, and if Desolas was going to try to sabotage the general in some way, he didn't want it getting back to his brother.

"No, that is fine brother. It was my actions that put me here, and I must work with the consequences. You understand right?"

"Yes, I understand. Still, you don't have Biotics, so I'm worried. Especially with what these aliens pulled earlier."

"Yes, there tactic was surprising and-"

"And pointless. The Hierarchy will come out on top as it always does. Everything they do to slow us down will lonely make things worse for them." Saren Interrupted with an arrogant tone. "ah, we are prepping to depart I will speak to you at a later time."

As The call was closed Desolas looked up to see that other platoons In the same room were getting ready, and that notices of troop movements and orders were scrolling over a screen over the main door.

All light cruisers were about to enter the planet's atmosphere to land their troops, and those troops on heavy cruisers and the battleships would begin shuttling down a well. It was beginning.

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The alien planet was a garden world of one single continent and a massive expansive sea encircling it. A thick mountain range cut down the centre of the continent at an angle, separating the green of the continent from a rocky desert that turned from sand to snow as it went north.

The continent had only one large city on it that was set right against the south side of the mountain range. This made it impossible to access from the north and west of the planet. Surrounding it was an expansive forest of some sort that covered dozens of sure kilometres away from the city itself in all directions it could. This meant that there was no easily accessible landing zone, or even a place where the hierarchy could set up a base of operations, near the city.

General Arcrus's original plan had been to drop people directly into the city itself, but as the first ships approached it they came under absurd amounts of AA fire that stripped away the ships barriers in seconds and began pounding at its hull. In a few more seconds the ship began having mechanical failures, and made a very dangerous landing/crash in the forest east of the city.

The original plan of quickly occupying the city and forcing the aliens to surrender in one swift moment had to be changed before it had even begun.

General Arcrus decide to land all of his forces outside the forest in the grasslands beyond. There a base would be set up, and his forces would move through the forest to manual set up forward bases at the cities edge to strike from.

Because the world was a Garden world, he could not simply bombard it from orbit either, meaning his ground forces would need to prepare armour and air forces to support the siege. It would take time, but once everything was ready all his forces would push forward and take the city.

Unfortunately, the ship that had been forced into the forest had dropped its communications when it crash landed, and from the landing zone it could not be seen, and its situation could not be confirmed even from orbit. It had to be found and its soldiers reclaimed by the hierarchy, lest they be captured by the alien natives.

So as two forces were sent to scout the forest before the initial attack, a third force was sent to rendezvous with the ship in the forest.

The Platoon of Desolas Arterius.

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"This forest is strange." One officer named Grakus Ornius said nervously as the platoon walked through the forest, Guns up and trained for anything that might attack them. They were on a hostile planet, where the ship they were looking for had tried to land troops in its main city, and was subsequently forced to make an emergency landing due to damage sustained by the aliens guns. They were not taking any chances by keeping their weapons stowed, not now that the aliens knew they were here

That did not however stop any of them from looking around at the flora around them. Those who preferred pistols had their guns out beside their omnitools, scanning anything and everything for information, anything to give them an edge and an understanding about this strange place on this unknown planet.

The forest was deep and dense. The tree's, though massive in size, were spread apart at the bases giving huge amounts of walking room on the forest floor, only coming together high above to form a nearly impenetrable canopy of green that allowed only thin beams of sunlight down to the forest floor. Despite the lack of direct light however, the fore itself was aglow. Flowers and strange capped growths sat by the bases of trees and in groups all their own, glowing in colors that no one thought a plant could attain. All around them strange balls of light hovered, bobbed and seemingly danced around them; yet would be swept away when neared. Fuzzy looking growths sat in patches on the trunks of trees, pulsing and squirming with life, and letting off a muted glow. Even the grass itself, lush, thick and soft under their boots, seemed to sparkle as they stepped through it. Even covered by the canopy above, the forest was bright with life, so bright that it was like they had never steeped out of the sun.

"I agree." Orinia said as she stepped over a moss covered rock and glanced around. "This forest feels far too, alive I guess. It feels like its watching us. And it looks the same in every direction!"

"Maybe it is watching us." Desolas joked with a chuckle as his Omnitool beeped and he tapped it. "Third recon team, over."

"This is first recon team. We've encountered what we believe to be the native aliens in the forest. They can move fast and attack with strange weaponry before disappearing. Their accuracy is lacking and they do not look dangerous, but keep your guard up." Came the voice over Desolas's Comms.

"Confirmed. Thank you for the info First recon. Over." Desolas said as he closed the line and looked around to see everyone taking more nervous glances around. "You all heard the message, stay sharp."

Everyone nodded in confirmation as they kept moving forward toward their objective. Turian protocol had infantry forces move in two staggered lines through unfamiliar territories that were forest, jungle, or other similar places where the terrain was uneven and cover naturally spread out. It meant that as soon as one person came under fire, others could get into cover immediately, lowering the chances of high losses from ambushes.

Everyone still felt uneasy though. Sounds of the forest echoed all around them. What they assumed were insects buzzed all around them making it sound like things were flying above the forest. a light breeze could blow through and make a strange low hum or growl, and a beam of light landing on glowing plant matter could make it sparkle and flash randomly, spooking more than a couple Turians into nearly firing at nothing at all. The forest was beautiful, but it felt like its very existence was meant to toy with them.

"Something on motion sensors ahead!" Orinia whispered through the platoon's group communications as she crouched behind a fallen log as she spoke. Before her words got past 'motion' everyone in the platoon began ducking and sliding behind the nearest piece of cover available to them. Those without nearby cover either crouched down, or completely lay on the forest floor to make themselves less noticeable.

For many seconds nothing appeared ahead of them. Then, jumping out of the grass and onto a small moss covered stone was an animal. It was nearly the size of a Vorcha, but that was the only similarity. It was covered in a brown fur that had two or three stripes of color along its body, and a fluffy tail, nearly as large as its own body trailed behind it, swaying about causally. Different Council species had different cultural ideals of some concepts, but nearly everyone in the platoon silently seemed to think the same thing. That this creature could be considered adorable by nearly any species definition of the word; it was a ball of fuzz that looked soft to the touch, and completely harmless.

"Just an animal huh, some contact there Orinia," Grakus said with a light shaking of his head and a chuckle.

"Better safe that ambushed." Orinia said with an annoyed gaze before looking back at the animal. "it is cute though. I bet the Asari would love having those as pets."

As if reacting to her words, the anime lumped off the rock and into the grass, its tail showing off its position for a few seconds before it too disappeared.

"Yeah, and you spooked it." Grakus said with another chuckle.

"Oh well it's not that-"

" Focus!" Desolas suddenly said as he tensed up a bit. "Three signals on motion sensors. Traveling as a group. Fifty meters past where the animal was!"

Everyone tensed and trained their weapons ahead, waiting for the signals to appear, and ready if Desolas gave the signal to fire. what appeared however, was something none of them expected.

Three creatures came into view as a group and immediately glances were exchanged as everyone thought the same thing. They looked like tiny, off color Asari! Their skin was a pale pinkish white in color, and all of them had body shaped like an Asari, definitely female, but their bodies themselves were maybe three and a half feet tall at most. They all had strange fur on the tops of their heads, two of them ragged and short, and one long and flowing like water. They all wore strange white garments of cloth that hung from their shoulders and draped down their bodies, stopping with a completely open flowing bottom around their knee's. All their furs were green, but what was most surprising was that each had wings coming out of their backs that looked faintly insectile in nature, and that they appeared to be floating above the grass. the wings themselves would occasionally beat, but they did not beat nearly fast enough that any form of lit could be achievable; and even stranger still was the fact that the height they floated at did not seem to change weather their wings were beating or not. It's like they were suspended by something other than the wings on their backs.

Desolas looked over to see that Orinia had holstered her pistol and had her Omnitool out, keeping it as low as possible as she appeared to be scanning the creatures ahead of them. "Are they floating through Biotics?" Desolas Whispered to Orinia when she noticed his gaze.

Orinia shook her head. "No. No element Zero readings. Not on those things, or anywhere in the environment. I'm not picking up any up anywhere."

". . . are they surrounded by any other energy maybe?"

"They are, but it's odd. Similar but different from the energy their ships exhibited. I think these are the natives though."

"I was thinking the same thing." Desolas said as he looked back at the three aliens, noticing that their mouths were moving and their faces expressing similar how the Asari did. "Can your Omnitool pick up what their saying?"

Orinia shook her head. "We'd need a translator."

"That's why I want recordings, so we can see if our VI's at the basecamp can formulate one."

Orinia shook her head again. "We're not close enough. I'm picking up nothing."

"Their moving!" Grakus said suddenly, making Desolas and Orinia look back up to see the three creature floating off.

"Their heading towards where the ship should be." Desolas realized out loud.

"Could they be planning to attack?" Orinia asked in surprise. "Seems like suicide when they have no armour."

"If they ae the natives they're the same race that Suicided our fleet." Desolas said carefully. "We follow them, see what happens. No one make a sound and keep your weapons ready."

Everyone nodded in agreement as Desolas began slowly creeping forward, everyone else following behind with their guns at the ready.

with the wide spacing of the tree's keeping their distance while keeping sight of the three aliens was not to horribly difficult, what was difficult was keeping up with their pace. Due to their flight they moved along at a pace that forced Desolas and his men to pick up their paces numerous times, something difficult when they were trying to be as quiet as possible.

After what felt like an eternity of following the three creatures around, sometimes at distances that made it comical when they didn't notice them, they finally began hearing noises that they recognized. The sounds pf a phaestrons*, or more accurately, many of them.

As they got closer the moved to the side of the three creatures, and saw the situation. the Light cruiser, Mercy's Lenience, was sitting in a clearing of the trees. It was sideways, its port side landing claws having either been damaged or destroyed, and its loading ramp was down. On the ramp were hastily thrown together blockades, and behind them dozens of Turians firing in every direction. all around the ramp Desolas could see many dozens of the creatures they had seen, including the three they followed, flying around and firing clusters of strange glowing things at their fellows. The Turians accuracy was superb, and Desolas saw three of the native aliens get gun downed by Phaestron fire, only for its body to explode into flashes of light and particles when it hit the ground, very similar to the lights that had been floating in the forest. It made everyone suddenly very nervous about the lights in the forest.

Desolas pushed that thought out of his mind and glanced around, takin count of the whole situation. "Spread out at the edge of the forest. The aliens do not see us. If we do this right we can catch them off-guard in a pincer attack!"

The entire platoon complied and within a half-minute they were all prepared, angled in a way that their stray rounds would not endanger their allies, but would still keep the aliens within their fire lines.

All at once without a call, they all opened up, adding to the mess accelerator rounds flying through the sky. The aliens, preoccupied with the cruisers defenders, were caught completely off guard, and began falling like stones thrown off a cliff. By the time they realized what was happening, over half of them had been slain, and the others panicked and darted off back into the forest, many of them being taken out from behind as they fled.

the number of floating l and bobbing lights around the ship was now absurd, and everyone eyed them carefully as they slowly came out from behind thir covers.

Coming out of the forest Desolas saw a couple of officers come out to greet them, one of them striding out in front. "Glad to finally get some support!" He said as he came over and saluted Desolas with a smile. "Those things are weak, but weirdly fast. Made them hard to hit."

"So it appeared. What were they firing at you though? it didn't look like they were armed." Desolas replied, mirroring the other Turians salute.

"They weren't. Caught us completely off guard because of it too. They fired those strange, light blasts from their hands. Some in large quantities other in small bursts. Made it really hard to figure out their tactics. Turns out they had none. Oh, Adrien Victus, Commander of the Division the Mercy's Lenience was carrying."

"You aren't the captain?" Desolas asked in surprise, he had after all expected the captain to defend his ship alongside her crew.

"No, the bridge crew was killed on impact and our sensors and communications destroyed by the aliens AA guns, wherever they were hidden in that city. We were trying to set up a make shift receiver to fix our own individual communication connection with the rest of the forces, but with the aliens attack, progress was slow."

"Good thing we were sent to investigate your situation then. How long until your communications are back up?"

"They just got back up before this last wave. Hopefully now we can receive orders and- hold on," Adrien said as he tapped his Omnitool and turned around while speaking.

"Good thing we arrive while we did." Orinia said as she stepped up beside Desolas, "This place is a bad positon. No cover, and from the looks of it, their barricades were getting hit hard. Whatever these aliens are using is effective."

"So it seems." Desolas muttered as he walked over to the nearest barricade and looked it over. It was covered in scorch marks, as well as droplets of water, a strange combination really. Wouldn't whatever made the scorch marks evaporate any water in the air or on the barricade?

"We've got orders!" Adrien Victus suddenly called out. "Get everyone together, we've moving on the city as per our original orders!" he then looked to Desolas and pointed at him. "Your platoon is coming with us as well. orders from the general."

"Yes Sir!"

" Good. Once my people are ready we'll leave, shouldn't take more than a couple minutes to get everything in order. Until then, take a rest, you look like you've earned it." Adrien said as he walked away and began barking orders to his people, leaving Desolas's platoon a moment to themselves that they took full use of.

A couple minutes later, just as Adrien had said, his people were ready and they were heading back into the forest and heading for the city, not noticing a small fuzzy animal watching and following them intently.

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Codex –

Phaestron – A Turian Deigned Assault rifle named after one of their spirits. It has a high capacity and good accuracy. Unfortunately due to these, when it overheat it takes longer to cool than other models of mass accelerator weapons. It is the Turian mainline weapon of choice.

Bio – Sanae

Name: Sanae Kotiya

Race: Human – Deified (Demigod)

Gender: Female

Age: 149. Looks early to mid-twenties.

Power rank: A

Class: 2

Class Specifics: Sanae is very skilled at protecting large numbers of people, but due to her personality and powers, finds it difficult to order others to join in combat.

Powers: Creation of Miracles.

Capabilities/skills: Miracle creation. High skill in Danmaku and spiritual type magic. Mechanical Skill. Singing skills.

Bio: The descendant of a Goddess (Suwako Moriya) Sanae naturally has had powers and skills above normal humans despite being one for many years. When she was 16 she moved to Gensokyo with Suwako Moriya and Kanako Yasaka, the Godess's she lived with and served. There she was able to actually use her powers instead of hiding them and quickly became proficient in them. When the Border broke and Gensokyo returned to the 'real' world she was able to adapt quicker than most due to her prior life in the real world. Able to continue her education again, she did and passed with flying colors where many from Gensokyo (Marisa Kirisame, Reimu Hakurei) failed repeatedly, and then decided she wanted to go to university to pursue engineering as a skill. (She wanted to make mecha because she liked them, and still ldoes). While studying for university she found she would not have the money, and so got a job for a couple years as an Idol, a job that granted her absurd amounts of income due to her looks and skills. As an Idol she was well loved, and the Studio she was under nearly fell to pieces from Public outcry when she completed her engineering Courses and got a job with Alliance R&D. They contact her biyearly asking her to return or even do a single tour, and she sometimes considers it.

Sanae is an Operative of the Alliance but while she is very powerful, prefers to work With R&D, intent on making a viable mecha for the Alliance's forces to use. She is friendly and vocal, but can be seen as strange, overbearing and off kilter sometimes compared to others. She has a friendly love hate relationship with Reimu due to them both having been Miko's of opposing shrines in Gensokyo.

Her mechanical speciality is in Robotics and armour, and was on the Danamaku class interceptor design team, helping design its look and its armour composition.

while he is an A rank Operative and could, Sanae does not command a dreadnaught, and additionally has been known to take time off from R&D to go back to the Moriya shrine to work, see family and Train other Miko.


	6. CH6 Invasion - First line

**Authors note: sorry for the wait, things happened!**

 **This chapter might seem like a lot doesn't happen, but there is a lot going on in the city and the vents that happen before reinforcements will be many, so this is just the start of the invasion of Shanxi in essence!**

 **Also, I've taken to naming chapters now, both for your and my own sakes and am trying to figure out what the alliances Antrhem/theme music/song would be, so if you have any suggestions toss e m to me via pm!**

"Victus, Sir. Permission to ask a question, sir." Desolas asked Adrien Victus as they led their groups to their objective, a gate into the Alien City. Desolas's platoon hardly changed the size of the division Adiren commanded, but for some reason Victus had requested that Desolas walk with him at the front.

"Granted, what do you want to know?" Adrien replied instantly.

"Sir, some of your people seems, wary, nervous even. Did something happen before my platoon had arrived?"

Adrien was quiet for a few seconds before nodding. "My men are confused and, I guess disturbed is the right word. I don't know if you got a good look at those aliens, but they looked like small off color Asari, like children. They flew in, screaming, laughing, and attacking us all at once. Even as some were killed they others kept laughing like they were having fun. The fact that all those glowing lights remained after they died, it didn't help either. If their entire race looks like that, I'd understand, but if they don't, then what kind of monsters would send children to their deaths? And what kind of children would look so, happy about it? It is disturbing to think about."

"I agree. None of them had armour of any kind, and they did not look armed either. Do we know what they were firing at your people?"

"No idea. Our scanners barely picked anything. Some of those, lights I guess, some of them hit hard, while others simply caused slight burning or a kinetic push. There seemed to be no reason to it either, and the fact they are natural biotics just makes it-"

"They're not Biotics." Desolas interrupted.

"What do you mean? They float so freely and then there were their attacks. How could it be anything but Biotics?"

"We found three of them on the way to you and one of my people managed some detailed scans of them and the area around them. No element Zero readings, not even a trace of them. There were no mass effect fields either."

Adrien was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I hope the general is looking forward to the ridiculous reports he will receive then."

"I thought the General was staying on his ship in orbit?" Desolas asked, a hint of anger welling up in his voice. A hint that Adrien noticed.

"Yes, but his subordinates are the ones on the ground. Apparently they are forwarding notices to him on the situation. In a way I hope this becomes difficult, maybe then he will rethink this awful strategy."

"You don't agree with it?"

"No. a frontal attack on a city with AA capable of taking out a light cruiser in a matter of seconds is a bad idea. We have no Intel on these aliens, or their weaponry or tactics. We're going in blind, and he wants us to walk right in. it's like asking a krogan to shoot you in the face. He'll do it with a smile."

Desolas nodded in grim understanding. Adrien clearly was not against the General himself, but he was very clearly against is orders and strategy. It was rare for a Turian to complain about a strategy when it had been decided on by their superiors though, so maybe Adrien fancied himself a tactician.

After more walking, they finally came through the forest without encountering more aliens, and the sight before them was, surprising to say the least. Standing in front of them was a wall made of solid metal. They could see no rivets, lines or anything of the like to say how it was made, but it was nearly twenty meters in height, and looked completely solid. Inset In the wall itself was a massive opening, likely a gate of some sort with no door, and outside it, hundreds of Turians were working hard, cutting into the forest and clearing space while forward buildings and tents were set up on either side of the gate.

Over the noise of work and toil though, both Adiren and Desolas could hear the sounds of Accelerator weapons from behind the walls, and occasionally other sounds that they could not begin to understand.

"Dam. Now were making a base camp right at the enemy's front door while attacking. Too many people are going to lose their lives to these stupid orders." Adrien muttered as he turned to Desolas. "Right, may as well head down and find out what our new orders are."

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". . . They are not doing as well as we figured they would, are they?" General Williams stated with a sigh as he stood over a large table that showed a top down view of Xi'an. The map showed the location of all friendly units by faintly glowing green dots, the barriers of each defensive line by black lines, and the traps that lined streets and buildings with pink lights. The alien forces were shown by red blips, and their locations controlled by a network of people sifting computer and communications data, and Yuuka, who sat contently at one end of the map, sometimes tapping a panel on the edge and changing the locations of some enemy blips.

"Of course they are not." Yuuka said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "We were prepared for their attacks and took defensive measures. While most of our population would prefer being on the offense, myself included, we are hardly incapable in defence. Laser rifles, Beam turrets and Pulse cannon emplacements at each barrier appear to be severely dampening their ability to near them, and our peopled magical prowess simply adds to it.

Williams looked to Yuuka and smiled. "The fact you are using your sunflowers across the city to spy on their positions likely does not help the matter either." Yuuka just smiled in reply, making Williams shake his head with a smile as he walked a bit further down the map and looked at the section outside the city, focusing on the area where the aliens were setting up a forward camp. "they took out most of the fairy's that are in the forest and are now making a camp right at both the south and east gates. I've ordered our people at the barriers facing those gates to not fire until the aliens cross the threshold into the city. It appears to be working for keeping them at bay for now. But as soon as they manage to bring in vehicles, artillery or air forces those first barriers will be in trouble.

"They barely landed an hour ago. Even if they are fast, I doubt they can set up forces that quickly when still landing troops." Yuuka commented as she tapped her panel, causing a ping at the growing enemy camp on the other side of the great forest. "The forest is five kilometers thick in its narrowest sections. They may have taken out most of the fairies, but as soon as they resurrect, they will understand the real meaning of harassment." Yuuka said with a sadistic grin.

"True. Unless they burn the whole forest, the fairy's will keep coming. Even if they do burn it down, some fairy's still might survive and just change element. That can be worse sometimes."

"Yes. I recall the one time Cirno became Electric for a week. She was smarter, faster, and more powerful. It was its own incident that no one could deal with." Yuuka said with a shiver before glancing at the panel and smirking. "It appears some of those aliens tried climbing the outer wall. They now know it is mined at the top." Yuuka said simply with a chuckle.

"Poor bastards." Williams said as the door to the command room opened, and four individuals stepped inside. The first one in was David Anderson, looking slightly worse for wear since the last time Williams saw him. With him was Jack harper, a human the same age, but built far thinner than David was, with a head of silvery blonde gray hair. His eyes were deep steely blue, and yet had a fire in them that few could compete with. Both of them were skilled magicians in their own rights, specializing in completely apposing elements to such an extent that they actually complemented each other's styles.

Beside jack stood Eva Core, a Gorgon Youkai with blonde hair and eyes grey like stone. She held herself like an active weapon, always alert and ready to strike. When nothing was happening she would look bored or expectant because of this, but she was in truth patient enough in most matters, especially ones where she could make her foes suffer or feel terror.

Then there was Kahlee sanders, a Half Lunarian whose gaze could be best described as emotional, yet calculating. She cared little for using magic, or fighting in close quarters if it could be helped, and instead carried a Type 7 Pulse rifle, affectionately nicknamed the arbalest, slung over her back. It was a brutal weapon, not powerful enough to destroy heavy vehicles, but its rate of fire made up for its lack of anti-armor power. It could fire four dozen pulses a minute, saturating an area in energized death, and was more than capable of halting infantry and light vehicles cold all on its own. It was one of the longest produced technological weapons in existence, falling behind only the Type 2 Laser rifle.

All four of them stood at attention, waiting for Williams to give orders, and surely enough, he had just the thing in mind. "Good, you are here. I have a mission for the four of you, one I think you may find interesting! I'd like you to canvas the city, acting as an assistance force to any Barrier, or defensive groups that need the assistance. Additionally, I'd like you to take out any groups of alien stragglers, leaving one alive from each group. Any of their technology that can be taken should be as well, so the R&D techs that are coming with our reinforcements can have things to look at immediately. Any questions?"

"Yes sir." Jack Harper said as he took a half step forward. "Not that I am complaining about our orders, but are we not supposed to be defensive until our reinforcing arrive?"

"Yes, that is why only four of you are doing this. All other forces are acting defensively, and will not move from their positions unless their defensive lines fall. I'm giving you four this mission because I believe it will fit you better than sitting at a barrier. Correct?"

Jack nodded as he took a step back, prompting Eva to step forward. "Sir, why are you specifying that we leave an alien alive if we encounter groups of stragglers of scouts?"

"We have a platoon of Red Eyes, and three platoons of Blade Breakers coming with our reinforcements, in addition to a platoon of EarthRazers. The Red eyes and Blade Breakers will have an easier time of snapping the enemy's morale if they already have some, unbelievable horror stories of our potential power. So we'll give them such stories. Understood?" Eva grinned evilly, her eyes seeming to shine for a second as she stepped back with a nod.

For a moment no one moved, until Kahlee stepped forward. "I assume we are to not allow our own technology to fall into their hands, but how open to tactics and equipment use are we sir? Are we using just weapons, or magic and innate capabilities as well, or just one of them?"

"I will not limit your choices if it keeps you alive. You can use whatever you deem necessary, but yes, do not allow our technology into their hands if it can be helped."

"That includes bodies!" Yuuka suddenly exclaimed as she looked at the four of them with a smile, making all of them shiver involuntarily. "I doubt many on Shanxi want their body experimented on if they passed, and fewer would want information learned from such a thing used against their allies. Don't let out peoples bodies fall into their hands either if it can be helped."

Davis and Kahlee looked sickened by Yuuka's words, while Jack and Eva merely looked solemn. All of them agreed with a silent nod however, making Yuuka smile as she went back to tapping a panel.

"As vile as such a thing is, it is necessary. You have your orders, and as soon as the first-"Williams began to say, until a Moon rabbit walked up to his side and bowed.

"General, sir! First defense line barrier are reporting the appearance or Alien Armour joining the fray, sir." Williams turned to the rabbit and nodded." Alert all forces to this and tell the first line to prepare to fall back on my orders, or if their positions become unfeasible to hold."

"Yes sir!" The rabbit said as she turned and bound off.

"You have your orders, and as you've heard, you may have a substantial area to operate in soon enough, as the first defensive line may need to pull back and join the second. Dismissed!" Williams waited until all four of them left the room before turning back to the map table. How much did I miss, how badly are they hitting us now that they have vehicles?"

Yuuka sighed and pinged a barrier on the map with a large force of aliens approaching I, sizable blocky shapes pulling up behind them. "Not good."

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Hadrus Vakerian coughed as he rolled on the ground and pulled himself up off the ground, using the nearly arrived Tanks that had come to join the offensive on the alien Barriers. The Jiris infantry fighting vehicle was an Excellent Turian Vehicle, capable of Carry a half dozen Turians into the fight if it needed to. It was equipped with a mass accelerator machine gun that had side slung Grenade launchers, and on the back it held two short ranged missiles for when it really needed to break things. It hovered through mass effect fields projected from a smaller mass effect core, allowing it to traverse nearly any environment and while it was called an infantry fighting vehicle, many simply called it the tank, because it could take a substantial amount of enemy fire due to its strong shielding and thick composite armour.

When Hadrus's division had been ordered to be the vanguard, everyone had ben looking forward to it, both to test their mettle against these new aliens, and to see what they were truly capable. Urban warfare was always preferred over Rural by Turians and a massive city felt like an excellent place to fight and prove that they were superior. Unfortunately, the aliens were not cooperating from the get go.

Their alien city was strange for many reasons. It had a massive wall of metal circling it that was mined at the top, yet the buildings inside the city were not made just of steel like the wall made many suspect. Most buildings appeared to be made of stone, wood and glass, and there were large open green spaces, some with massive trees or patterned rocks lying about, and others with strange yellow plants in them, giving it a strange feel. The streets were wide and uncluttered with many Alleys and side streets blocked off by the clutter that likely had been on other streets. This meant they could only move down so many routes easily, and these routes led straight to the Alien Defensive lines barriers.

The barriers were walls of metal plated stone that rose nearly three meters high from the street with no immediate way around. There was always a substantial open space between roads and the barriers at their ends, creating kill zones without cover, and the barrier they were at appeared to have numerous turreted emplacements upon it. Emplacements that seemed to scatter shots of hot red energy out at them. These shots ignored shields completely and burned holes right through some peoples armour if it hit a joint of other spot that needed mobility. some were struck in the torso's, and while the shits did not pierce their bodies completely, they would burn through armor and into the person torso, cauterizing at it went, often leading to wounds that could not be tended to easily or at all, leaving the inured in grievous pain. Their commanding officer scoffed at what everyone thought these shots were, but everyone knew he agreed and was simply following protocol. They were being shot at with pure heat. Direct energy. Lasers!

The barrier had two emplacements that fired the lasers in broad cones, saturating an area and making advancing nearly impossible. Some tried to snipe the aliens on the barriers turrets, only to find that the guns on the barrier were protected by some sort of shielding that glowed differing colors. Those same Ones who tried sniping then would become prime target for every gun on the lien barrier, endangering everyone around them.

Worse still was the third and central alien emplacement on the barrier, a turret that seemed to release a continuous beam of green blue energy. this beam was not ignored by kinetic barriers, but it was so powerful that being hit for even a half second caused most people's barriers to cut out completely, and the aliens took advantage of this fact, using the turret in long wide firing arcs, striking everyone at the front line once, then coming back around again, cutting into the armour and flesh of those who did not immediately seek cover, whether that be an ally or simply dropping to the ground.

The advance had ground to a halt from the aliens defences, and without artillery or air support many Turians began voicing opinions that it would be best to regroups and wait for such support. Then Jiris Tanks floated up and joined the fray, giving the advancing forces the cover, and fire support they needed.

Five Jiris had arrived to accompany them. Three of them pulled to the front, acting as a vanguard like wall, while the other two stayed at the back of the force, lobbing grenades over their ally's heads toward the alien's barrier. The three at the front immediate less loose with their cannons, spraying mass accelerator rounds over the barrier, saturating it in bolts of blue. Colored shields around the alien emplacements began shattering, and their fire dropped down to nearly nothing, they were unable to stick their heads from fear of the Jiris's, and the Turian infantry took advantage of that, one Jiris fired constantly till its accelerator cannon overheated, then another took its place while it cooled. With three Jiris doing this, the aliens could not fire back, and the Turian forces had the opening they needed. With the Jiris leading the way, they began advancing once again toward the alien barrier.

There was no response rom the barrier at all as they closed in on it, then when they were barely twenty meters away from it, the aliens reacted in a way the Turians should have seen coming. They began lobbing explosives over the barrier itself at the advancing force. Hadrus figured it would end the same way as such tactics always did, the grenades from their lower velocity would pass through their barrier and bounce of their armour, alerting anyone nearby to step back, allowing their kinetic barrier to take the force of the explosion and its forces. Then he noticed that the explosive being thrown looked like they were glowing like fire, and then everything went to hell.

The first explosive landed on a Jiris, bypassing its shields and exploding as soon as it hit the main gun, covering it in roaring flames. Another landed on the ground between two Turians, exploding in a blast of white light that sent both of them flying sideways into their fellows, ignoring their shields completely. Another struck a Turian in the chest, flash freezing him in place, and another seemed to electrify one of the Jiris it landed on, causing its shied to spark and sputter. Other attacks seemly turned into a masses of vines that strangled and grappled others, while more of every kind of attack was lobbed over the barrier.

It was complete chaos, and once the centre most Jiris suddenly exploded; the other two seemingly had enough and began firing their cannons in tandem, alongside barrages of grenades, pounding the barrier with a veritable wall of explosives and accelerator rounds, hoping to stop the tide of grenades that were killing their comrades.

After a minute both Jiris's guns overheated and the fire stopped. Noting happened. A couple seconds, a minute, two minutes, five. No more strange grenades were lobbed over the barrier, no guns came on line, nothing. In fact some, Hadrus' included, noticed the gun emplacements that had been on the barrier were now gone. Had they been destroyed by their fire? If they had it was a good thing, but the barrier itself was still intact. Its outer plating was gone, and the stone underneath pitted and scarred, but still whole and fully standing. Just what was it made of?

"Breaching charges!" a CO called many officers acting on his order and moving to the barrier itself. The charges were all placed as high ad everyone could reach, and once they were clear, they were detonated, and the top meter and a half of the barrier was blown from existence. Now able to see overtop of it, though just barely, anyone near it could make out people running in the distance, away from the barrier. The aliens had abandoned it! "Good job everyone! Climb the barrier! We continue to move forward! They can't run forever!" The CO called out.

Everyone moved to follow the order, Hadrus included, but when he climbed up on to the top of the barrier something suddenly felt wrong. Then a turian took a couple steps forward and was suddenly engulfed in flames, his screams eclipsed by the roaring fire as his body fell to the ground, the smell of burning flesh hitting everyone in an instant.

"By the spirits, what just-"one female Turian said in horror as she took a step away from the body. Hadrus saw it happen as her foot touched the ground, and his eyes opened in surprise. As her foot came down, a ring of light pulsed up around her foot, covered in strange angular shapes and smooth curves, and then shrunk down into nothing ness. Then a massive bolt of electricity coursed through the female Turian, making her body twitch and begin to smoke before it finally stopped, and her body dropped to the ground lifelessly.

"Mines! Nobody move!" Harris called out, causing every Turian on the barrier, and climbing it, to freeze like ice, just as a mine went off and froze one solid. Hadrus couldn't make sense of it. There was no metal underfoot, no click of a detonator like old style mines once had, and no senor pinging either. A circle of light, then bang, fire, electricity, ice. It was like the magic from old stories of early Palaven, when the titans roamed the planet, only it had happened right in front of him. Something like magic. "Scan for mines." He said, quickly pulling his Omnitool out and scanning the area around himself, just as everyone began doing, refusing to move their feet.

"Clear!"

"Clear."

"Clear, I'm not picking up anything."

Hadris nodded as his Omnitools scanner picked up nothing either. "Clear. We should be safe, unless their mines can't be picked up by our scanners."

"The must have been lucky to be able to place some before we-" A turian said as she took a step forward, arrogantly shrugging as he spoke. Hadrus saw it happen, again. Her foot came down, a blueish white circle appeared where she stepped then disappeared down to nothing, and in that same instant her leg froze solid, the Ice forming up her body in a single second, leaving her completely solid.

"H-How. We checked! There were no mines!" A Turian said in fear as he glanced around, unwilling to move his feet.

"A ring of light appeared at her feet, then she froze. . . .Wait, is she still alive?!" Hadrus asked suddenly, others closer to her pulling out their omnitools and scanning the frozen body.

After a few seconds of silence a Turian with his face covered red face paint shook his head slowly. "No heat signature. No life signs, not even an electrical signal from her armour. All my scanner is picking up is ice."

"That's impossible! This is impossible!" One Turian said with a roar as he turned and began walking down the barrier, or would have until he took a step, a light ring appearing around his foot as he stepped away from it. It exploded as he went, throwing him forward down the barrier onto the roadway with a crack. A second later he got up and turned to everyone else with what accounted for a grin among Turians. "See, nothing to it!"

Everyone looked at him with scowls and thoughts of how lucky he was. The backside of his armour had burns on it, especially worse around his ankles, but it had held together. Would everyone else's though?

As if all thinking the same thing everyone sprinted down the barrier embankment, Rings of light kicking up behind them as they ran, creating explosions, jolts of electricity and sudden spikes of ice to form. Miraculously, everyone made it down the barrier though some peoples armours were damaged severely, and others had been injure in the action.

"What, what was that?" Hadrus asked out loud as he looked back at what remained of the barrier, small crystals of ice the only proof they had been in danger just seconds before. "Rings of light, fire ice, and electricity. Just what kind of technology is this race capable of?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it!" one Turian commented, breathing heavily as he did.

"The Jiris commanders just said they can't get their Jiris's over the Barriers remains. there's reinforcements on route with additional breaching charges to break it down. We have orders to hold here until the barrier is destroyed."

"Great, now we get to guard a hunk of rock that nearly killed us." one said as he kicked a rock at the barrier, it bouncing a bit before stopping, and a ring of light forming under it, then exploding. "Oh spirits."

Hadrus ignored his allies comment as he looked around, something seeming vey off all of a sudden. Getting a better look at many of the building he noticed a couple of distinct styles, yet there seemed to be no reason as to why buildings were one or the other. Different buildings had different kinds of signs on them; signs with what Hadrus were sure were differing type of writing, very different forms of writing. But what bothered him was the barrier itself, and the distinct lack of weapons, or bodies on and around it. The aliens had held them back for over an hour and killed dozens of Turians, yet they left nothing behind when they retreated from the barrier. There were no bodies, no weapons, and no emplacements. Not even a fleck of metal or piece of garbage. Either they had taken no losses, or the aliens had carried their dead along with them when they retreated, and both options worried Hadrus greatly. If they took no losses, it would mean terrible things for the Hierarchy, and if they went so far as to carry their dead away, it could mean numerous things. It could simply be a cultural thing, a need to preserve equipment, or perhaps a desire to not let their dead go to unknown forces. Either way, it left them with little to go on, especially since the only information they had on these aliens was strange and nonsensical reports from the forest, and the grainy vids of the aliens retreating at a distance.

"The area looks clear, but we should keep our guard up, no telling what these aliens are capable if they can create invisible tech mines." One Turian suddenly said, catching Hadrus's attention.

"That I can agree with," Hadris said as he glanced around, suddenly realizing how tired he was. "We should get some rest too, something tells me that we'll need it."

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Codex

 **Jiris infantry combat vehicle -** A Turian Hovercraft vehicle that mounts an accelerator cannon, grenade launchers and missiles. It is a mainstay for Turian ground forces, capable of traversing nearly any surface and can be atmospherically sealed for low gravity or atmosphere worlds.

 **Turian Combat Doctrine -** Turian combat doctrine is straightforward, focusing on brutal tactics to put down enemy forces so hard they cannot get back up again. Many less experienced or straightforward Turians themselves see this as meaning to attack from the front so they can take down the enemy's main forces, but Turians that have experience or differing views see the need to incorporate real strategy into their operations, something many unexperienced generals do not do.

Turian military forces are combined, meaning Infantry can request assistance from artily, vehicles and air support when needed, and can even call for orbital strikes when not on a garden world.

 **Type 7 Pulse rifle – Arbalest -** The Type 7 pulse rifle, nicknamed the arbalest, is an infantry scale Pulse weapon that operates more on the idea of quantity over quality to deal damage. the explosions from its pulses are only barely a meter in diameter, but with its rapid fire rate of nearly 48 shots a minute, it can saturate an area with explosions, effectively halting enemy infantry, and while they are designed for it, their pulses can damage vehicular armour if enough shots land around one area. it is well loved and used, many preferring it over beam weapons that require greater accuracy.

 **Type 2 Laser rifle – Cyclops -** The type 2 laser rifle is the main laser weapon for alliance ground forces. It looks similar to an advanced pre-alliance human design, with a handle, stock, main body and barrel covered in hard plating. Because Laser weapons have no kinetic value to the shots, the type 2 has no recoil when firing, leaving the stock to be more for keeping your accuracy up, and not keeping recoil down. For this reason, the type 2's stock can be extended to match the length of a person's arms.

The Type 2 has a rotating Heat exchange system located on its left side commonly called a heat wheel. The heat wheel is comprised of a circular plate, that hold three separate semi solid Heat Cores, Metal and synthetic partially hollow cylinders that store and disperse heat. Firing the weapon will generate excess heat that is stored in a core. When a core is full, the heat wheel pushes out of the type 2's right side by an inch, spins, and then pulls back into the gun. When it does this, the filled heat core is moved to a spot on the heat wheels upper edge that exposes it to the atmosphere and a small silent fan, that begin blowing to move heat off the core and into the air. A heat core takes roughly fifteen seconds to cool sufficiently, and twenty five to cool completely.

The type 2 has two firing modes, Semi and auto, with firing rates different for each mode.

Semi fires each time the trigger is pulled individually, and is the most commonly used mode as it allows the wielder to control their fire and the accumulation of heat.

Auto fires as long as the trigger is pulled and is used rarely unless there is a need for it, as a Heat core can fill with heat as quickly as in ten seconds.

The type 2, replaced the old type 1 laser rifle, due to being better designed and having more reliable features and capabilities.

Operative Bio – Yuuka

Name: Yuuka Kazami

Race: Youkai – plant type

Gender: Female

Age: Unknown, but rumored to be over 400 easily. Looks early mid-thirties.

Power rank: S

Class: 3

Class Specifics: Yuuka often will blatantly refuse to work with others because she understands that few can keep up with power and personality. While she has mellowed slightly in the past decades, she still will refuse to fight alongside all but the best that could keep up with her, and as such is not appropriate for anything that requires group action.

Powers: Manipulation of plants and flowers.

Capabilities/skills: Creation of Dimensions (200m – 3km square) Magical talent, Plant manipulation. Botanical knowledge. Is considered to be one of the few operatives (5(Yuuka Kazami, Flandre Scarlet, Marisa Kirisame, patchouli knowledge, Reimu Hakurei)) capable of single handily destroying a heavy cruiser in one-shot with their own unenhanced power.

Bio: a plant youkai originating from Gensokyo, Yuuka Kazami is considered one of the most powerful Youkai alive, and also one of the most to not anger. Normally pleasant and calm, she is capable of Sadistic anger and violence if enraged or angered, and is easily capable of breaking past Spell card rule limits.

little is known what she was up to in the opening years of the border breaking, and she became an operative just before moving to Shanxi and revealing she was betrothed, startling many people.

She is married to General Williams, the commander of Shanxi, and has been for four years.

Bio – General Williams

Name: Roger Williams

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 63

Power rank: E

Class: 1

Class Specifics: Roger Williams can command large numbers of forces and people directly as long as he has the means to do so. He specializes in Defensive engagements and Short quick blitzkrieg style tactics.

Powers: None

Capabilities/skills: Skilled at tactics and strategy, situational awareness. Adept at using most basic and specialized technical weapons. limited knowledge on very basic magic.

Bio:A Human that joined the Alliance military when he was twenty three, upon completion of a university course, Roger Williams rose through the ranks due to hard work and knowledge. After thirty two years in the military, he was granted the rank of general and granted command over the Colony planet of Shanxi. Before he went however, he disappeared for two years, and then appeared on shanxi, with his nearly betrothed wife, Yuuka Kazami. It is said that only the heads of the alliance know where he was, and he refuses to tell anyone what happened to him during this time, though the scar on his face can explain much.


	7. CH7 Invasion - Magicians

"Keep firing! We're almost through!" A Turian CO roared at his men as his own Phaeston fired incessantly down the long road he and his men stood in. just behind them, a handful of Jiris tanks floated up, and now their firepower was completely holding the Alien defenders at bay, their barrier would soon be under their control.

"Sir! I think I saw some of the aliens retreating, your orders!" A soldier came and asked the CO.

He smiled. "Tell your squad leader to flank around these buildings to catch an alien before we break through or they retreat. I want to see what these aliens look like, and maybe we can get some information out of captives if we are lucky. Find out why they are so unwilling to budge in their defence and accept the hierarchies teaching! If it's not possible to capture some of them, flank the barrier itself to give us an advantage!"

"Yes sir!" replied the soldier, a young soldier barely out of training named Allius kaverus. Once he had delivered the order to his squad leader, his squad then followed it, ducking into an alleyway and following it in a wide and strange pattern around the main streets. The alien city was weird, with buildings made of stone, steel and even wood, seemingly at random.

Early In the action, scouts had been sent out to survey the city, but when they tried to jetpack up onto the walls, it was discovered the top of it was heavily mined with directional explosives. Even if someone's shields held, the force of the explosion would knock them back right off the wall. As such, rooftops were now off limits until it could be discovered what was mined and what wasn't, making running through the back alleys without a premade map, very confusing.

"Hold! I saw movement." The squads scout suddenly called, pointing his rifle at a strange wooden building at the end of an alleyway. Following his lead, everyone moved slowly with their weapons out, and as they got closer, they found the real extent of the buildings strangeness. It was entirely wood, lifted off the ground by wood at the corners from its looks. Even stranger was that it's walls did not seem solid, like they were made of thin wood, or paper. There were no door hinges anywhere in sight either, making it seem more like a monument than a building.

"You sure, I don't see anything?" One Turian asked, hefting his Phaeston casually.

The CO looked up at the overcast sky and listened, hearing the sounds of gunfire nearby. "We should be close to the alien barrier, but I don't want us getting attacked from behind when that is our plan. There are eight of us, three of you go around one way, and three the other." He said as he looked to the scout. "We'll stay here and keep watch."

"Yes sir!" all of his squad replied as they split up instantly and began circling the building. Allius was paired with two more experienced soldiers, much to his relief. It increased his chance of survival, and it gave him the chance to learn from those better than himself.

"Keep behind us rookie, and keep your gun up." One of the veterans said confidently. "Judging from the weapons the aliens were using on us before, we do not want to be caught unawares."

"Right. . . . What, what do you think those weapons were?" Allius asked as the three of them began circling around one side of the building that was against the wall of another, much higher bailing made of stone. It made the space between them feel tight, suffocating, and dangerous.

". . . That is not our place to ponder. We have technicians for that, and we'll need to get them alien weapons to figure that out." one veteran said after a moment of silence.

"But, they went past our barriers." Allius said nervously. "I saw a shot go right through the guy beside me, right through his head. Right through, perfectly clean, cauterizing the hole instantly, just like a laser-"

"Look, there's is no way these aliens have technology even we do not." The other veteran said suddenly, sounding angry at the very idea. "It's most likely that they simply used heated mass accelerator weaponry, or something similar. Understand?"

"But-"

"Understand?!"

" . . . . Yes, sir."

"Good, now we need to-"The veteran said, just as the sound of an explosion and screams came from around the corner of the building ahead of them. "Move, double time!"

Rushing ahead all three of them charged around the corner, weapons raise, hoping to not be too late. The scene before them however made it blatantly clear that they were too late. Three members of their squad all lay upon the ground, scatter apart from each other. Between them the ground sparked with energy around black scarring in the dirt, grass and wood, and each of the Turians armour and bodies looked burned and fried as well, one even missing a leg and a section of his midsections.

"By the spirits." One veteran said as he glanced around at the narrow area they stood in. "an ambush, maybe, but from where? It doesn't make sense!"

"It's like an explosion just happened right In the middle of them." The other said as he looked over their bodies, getting a shock from the lingering energy arcing off their corpses. "In the air from the looks of it, just below their waists. How is that possible, there's no place they could be attacked form here unless it was right in front of them."

Allius was zapped by an arc of energy, making him jumps back a bit in nervous fear. "It's just like those energy cannons they were firing from the barrier."

"Those were not energy cannon, just a different style of weaponry that we yet do not understand. It is not an energy weapon." The one veteran said certainly, staring into sound certain as he stood up. Just in time for a scream to be heard from the buildings other side, where the CO and scout were waiting.

"What, impossible! back to the CO, Now!" One Veteran called as both of them began running down besides the building, nearly leaving Allius behind. When they came out from the building hey found themselves on a side street, the Scout on the ground before them, impaled on a spike of stone, and the CO being held up by what they assumed was one of the Aliens.

It looked just like the few reports, an off color Asari, even being female in its looks and the same height. It had yellow fur on its head, but what was most surprising was that it was holding the CO up in the air by his chest plate, and his arms were lying on the ground, blood pouring from his wounds as he tried to speak.

The alien Female said something to the Co and her Eyes flashed, then to the Veterans and Allius's surprise, The CO's body and armour suddenly turned into stone in a matter of seconds! The Alien woman slowly put the CO down on the ground, stepped back as if admiring her work, then threw one of her arms at the CO, shattering his body, sending fragments of solid stone all across the roadway, and the scout's body.

It was something completely impossible, but neither Veteran even focused on it as they raised their weapons at the Alien woman, screaming at the same time, "Hands in the Air Alien!"

The alien woman looked at them and smiled just like an Asari would, if an Asari had the bloodthirst of a Krogan.

As if following some que, the earth at Allius's feet suddenly twisted, rising up into a massive earthen hand that grabbed and hoisted him into the air, bending his armour and making it nearly impossible to breath.

"Rookie!" one veteran called as he turned around to find a Male alien standing beside Allius, looking pleased with himself, as if he had controlled the earth itself. He had no weapons on him, but there was what looked like murky water floating around him, as if tapped in a singularity. The water then flew forward like a knife, striking the veteran right in the chest and knocking him backwards into a wooden beam, knocking the wind from his lungs. Before he could get up, water formed around and captured him in a sphere of it, holding him there with no oxygen and no way to breath.

The other veteran turned to fire on the new male alien, only for a lance of Hot steel to flow forward across the street and right though him, melting though his armour , plates, and internal organ alike. The hot steel flowed like water around his body, cutting into all of his armour and burning him inside and out, before flowing out toward the street, were a second male of the aliens stood, coils of hot metal floating around him like it was completely natural.

The drowning veteran finally could not hold his breath, gasping for air, and only having water. He stopped moving in a matter of seconds. As if an afterthought, the alien with water around it looked to Allius and tapped on the rock, it instantly tightening, and Allius's world went black.

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David Anderson sighed as he released his hold on the alien, dropping its unconscious and broken body out of the earthen hand and onto the ground limply. "That was far easier than I expected."

"I agree," Eva said with a grin as she stepped on and crushed a piece pf stone underneath her foot. These aliens are slow. I killed the one before the other even raised its weapon. Made it too easy to take his arms off!"

"Must you describe it to us again when we witnessed it?" Kahlee asked as she crawled out from under the wooden shrine, dirt and grass stains covering her clothing and the few pieces of armour she wore over her chest and limbs. "I agree that it was too easy. To be lured into a narrow area, and then blown apart, their allies didn't even think to look under the shrine; if they had they would have seen me."

"Oh come on, it was a good plan, they didn't see you anyway!" Jack said as he walked over, torrents of hot slag circling him like a flock of birds.

"You're just luck their shielding doesn't block physical attacks below a certain velocity." David said with a sigh.

"Oh come on, we knew their shielding wouldn't block our magic unless it goes fast enough! And it'll only block it if it is kinetic!"

"Which yours is." Eva deadpanned. "We'll have to thank R&D for getting us the information on their shielding before they got here. Otherwise we could have had problems."

"What problems! I've yet to see a violent problem that can't be solved by hot slag!" Jack said with a grin as he glanced to the Alien that he had nearly melted apart. Their armor isn't much though, is it?"

"It's probably designed to counter weapons like their own." Kahlee said as she glanced around, her gaze falling on the one who David had suffocated in water. His arm shifted slightly. "I think this one is still alive David."

"Really? These aliens have strong lungs then. This is a problem; we've got two of them left alive. Can we leave them both here, or should we finish one of them off then?" David asked uncertainly as he scratched his head.

"Leave them." Kahlee suggested as she picked up one of the alien weapons. "Let's take their weapons and any gear off them that is not destroyed and leave them. Two are more likely to be believed than one, and we should get going before the barrier nearby needs to fall back."

"I can agree with that." Eva said with a grin as she walked over to the arms on the ground and began slipping the armor off of them. "Still, this was almost too easy!"

"It wasn't too easy," Kahlee said with a sigh. "We caught them off guard in an ambush; the barriers are being pounded heavily now that the aliens have vehicles. We're going to start getting pushed back if they keep up such a pace. And it will only get worse if they get air forces up and running."

Both Eva and jack said nothing as they worked at the alien armor that was intact, or mostly intact. As David considered Kahlee's works he looked over one of the bodies, noticing a glint in the neck piece of one aliens armour. Crouching down he pulled at the glint, taking out a nearly circular piece of metal covered in symbols on both sides. "Hey, are there these little metal discs in the collar like piece of the other alien armours?" David aske as he stood up and showed the disc to everyone else.

In a few seconds everyone was looking and came up with more of the discs, one on each alien.

"I wonder what they are. Rank insignia maybe?" Jack speculated.

"We'll have to take them back as well to see I guess." David said as a chain of explosions ripped through the air around the building. "Sounds like the barrier will fall back soon. Let's get moving. I don't want to be here when the aliens see their people here.

"I do. I bet their expressions would be priceless!" Jack said with a laugh as the four of them rushed down the street, leaving the two broken but alive aliens on the ground with their dead comrades all around them.

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Saren Arterius looked at the scene before him and felt anger well up inside him. The group of cabals he was with had been ordered to reinforce the attack on the first southern barrier, as the vehicle support would be delayed. When they arrived, destroying the alien barrier was difficult, but not impossible, the aliens retreating as if they had planned it.

Once they had passed the barrier, the commanding officer of the attack force mentioned he had sent a group to flank the barrier, but hadn't heard back for them. They kept their eyes out for them as they moved past the remains of the barrier, and found them shortly after.

In front of a strange looking wooden building was the squad that had been sent to flank the barrier. Three were dead from some sort of explosion by the looks of it; another looked as if they had been tortured with a flamethrower. Two of them lay on the ground, barely breathing with one of them having their limbs in such shape there was no denying they were shattered completely. "There's one body missing." Saren said grimly as he shook his head at the carnage. He couldn't even begin to understand how such carnage was capable of being done. There were no mass effect readings on his Omni tool, and the aliens that fought them at the barrier used those red possibly energy weapons on them, nothing that could cause this sort of destruction.

"Arterius, I found the missing squad member." Another cabal member said as he walked up to Saren's side.

"Where is he?" Saren asked as he turned to him, finding him holding what looked to be the head of a statue. At first glance he didn't understand. Then he realized the stone head was looked Turian. Turians had never been to this world, so there would be no imagery of Turians, let alone statues. So where had it come from?

"This is his head." The cabal said grimly as her showed Saren a scan from his Omni tool. My scan confirms a ninety seven percent chance it is his face. The disturbing thing is its completely stone, and there are other pieces of stone around that my scanner keep picking up as being shards of what could form a body. His arms, still flesh, are on the ground over there, in the middle of where the shards of stone are scattered."

". . . Your saying that he was somehow, turned to stone?" Saren asked in disbelief.

"Yes. That is what the scans say. Spirits it makes no sense though. Freezing sure, even being covered in molten rock would still leave some organic substance behind. But to be turns completely to stone. I don't even know what could do such a thing.

"We know they have strange technology, we'll find out what they did by the time we make them into a client race. Then they will realize their folly in using such a disgusting weapon on the hierarchy!"

"Agreed." The other cabal said as he knelt down beside one of the bodies and looked t over, nearly growling a second later. This man's identity plate is gone from his armour."

Saren looked at him then quickly rushed over to another Turian body, looking it over. "This one too. Did the aliens take them?"

"They must have those savages."

"We'll get them back." Saren said assuredly as they heard noise nearby. "Sounds like the force we've been attached to is moving forward."

"Yes. Let's go tell its CO the bad news."

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Desolas and Adrien both wore looks of impatience and annoyance as they walked into the tent that was housing the forward operation for the Turian ground forces. Both they and their people, Adrien's division and Desolas's platoon, had been told to wait until they were called, put on standby while just over a wall their brethren were fighting. It made them both angry that they were not being allowed to act, though for differing reasons.

The tent was full of computers and tables with holographic images of the surrounding area, including the city itself. They were sent from the ships in orbit, as the only thing they could do presently was scan and gather intelligence. They were sieging a Garden world after all, and Council law forbid bombing garden worlds from orbit under any situation.

At the back of the tent looking over a data pad as one of General Cathris's subordinates, one Septimus Oraka. as soon as the two of them entered the tent and stood waiting for his attention Oraka looked up at then, then waved the couple other Turians in the tent out, the flap being closed behind them. He then walked over to the table with the hologram of the city on it and brightened it, making it easier to tell what was where. "I apologize for the wait. The situation is, complicated."

"Complicated is putting it lightly I think." Adrien said calmly.

Septimus nodded. "Yes, and I apologize. I've had orders for you Victus, but not for Arterius. The General ordered me to, in his words, 'find something meaningless for him to do' and I've been trying to do the exact opposite."

This made Desolas and Adrien glance to each other, though Adrien spoke up first. "Sir, you are directly disobeying orders from the general, that is-"

"Not disobeying," Septimus said with a grin. "I am simply interpreting them differently. The general is making strange choices, and his orders are becoming even stranger. He may have something against you Arterius, but I am not going to push aside assets that can be utilized. I want this ended before it becomes too big for us to handle, and to do that I need everyone working, not being pushed back and relegated to cleaning duty!"

Both Desolas and Adrien were taken aback by Septimus's exclamation, prompting Desolas to take a step forward. "Sir, thank you for thinking such a thing for my sake, but may I ask what these strange orders are in general?"

Septimus nodded. "He orders us to take the city and sends in Victus's ship right over the city to get by AA fire. We land and he demands we take the city by days end, ignoring all things in our way if necessary. When he was informed about the barriers and the alien's weapons, he waved them off, telling us to simply go around or through them as quickly as possible. He tells us to charge through and leave no survivors, and then later tells us he wants us to capture aliens for study. When we finally break through the first two barriers we encountered I received reports that the streets split in most cases, and that the aliens have a second defensive line I the city. We're not sure how many, but there are at least five barriers in this line. When I informed the general, he said, rush through one and take the city. He is impatient, and acting in a manner that does not befit a general!"

Both Desolas and Adrien looked like they wanted to say something, but did not. Criticizing a superior in such a manner was frowned upon, even if Desolas was looking for a way to make him pay. Just the information of what his orders had been would help though.

"I apologize for that. This mission has been stressful even for just these past few hours. Now that our forward forces have vehicle support though, we are making some headway. Once our air forces are unloaded off the ships and our artillery is set up we should be able to end this quickly, and maybe get some normalcy back to everything."

"You don't like the situation?" Adrien asked carefully.

"It is not that I dislike doing my duty, but that I prefer doing patrols and keeping people safe. This is not keeping people safe in the short term, it is making them inclined to hate us. But I have avoided the subject long enough. Your orders are as follows. Victus, your Division will be meeting up with the eastern front and splitting off to go head towards this barrier here." Septimus said as he pointed to a red line on the map. "We don't have much intelligence on the deeper areas of the city yet, but the roads here are narrow, and there appears to be many alleyways. Be careful, we've gotten reports that the aliens have strange mines in alleyways and on the barriers themselves."

"They mine their own defences?! Desolas asked in surprise. The point of Mines was to prevent an enemy from going certain ways on a field, whether to slow them or make them use up resources to go that way. The idea that they would put mines in their own area seemed frightfully stupid.

"Yes. We believe they may have some form of identification system to keep them from exploding on themselves. We've yet to see the mines go off when not near our own people." Septimus said as he looked to Adrien. "Be careful, some of the mines appear Cryogenic, incendiary and electrical in nature. The reports of their effectiveness are startling. You will have vehicles issued to your forces, and Air forces and artillery support will be ready soon."

"I understand." Adrien said with a salute.

"And my men, sir?" Desolas asked hopefully.

"For your men I have a special mission." Septimus said as he gestured to a spot on the map in the city. It was a large building, surrounded by open area. The roads around it were wide and the buildings small and wide apart from each other. "We are not sure what this building is, but we believe it may be a form of operations base, or perhaps a warehouse of some sort. Your platoon is to go and take this position. Regardless of what it is, it may make an excellent forward base if we need another."

Desolas looked at the buildings position and scowled. The buildings was open on nearly every side, and while the alien barriers were far from it. But something seemed off about its position. It was slightly behind the alien second defensive line, but had three different roads going right toward it, with no defences blocking these. It was like it was designed to be targeted. "Sir, are we sure this is a suitable target? It looks like a trap."

"I realize this, but if it is not, it is a prime position to take. If it is a trap, or you feel that the position is unattainable, inform me of it in any way that you can. We'll get your men out of there. Understand?"

"Yes sir." Desolas responded, feeling lucky that Septimus was an understanding leader, and clearly willing to pull people back to stop unneeded losses.

"Good. Have you and your people outfit yourselves at the armory we've set up. Grab what you need and head out."

"I will, but how can we be sure of the building itself. It looks like the city is strangely designed. Do we know if the building has a certain look to it?"

"Yes. Our orbital imagery noted one thing of note other than its strange size, location and open area around it. The entire building appears to be made of stone. And is deep red in color."

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Codex –

 **Magic** – Magic is the manipulation of the forces of the world around people. Because of the various kinds and types of magic, magic is organized into three types and classes. Magic can be types as either active or continuous depending on how long its latency is, and magic can be both types depending on how it is devised. Magic type, sometimes called their school, is what form the magic takes, and is classified as either, Elemental, Spiritual or Omni.

 **Elemental Magic** is the most commonly used magic, focused on manipulating the elements for the users own ends, be then just or unjust.

 **Spiritual Magic** , sometimes called divine magic, is magic focused on death, life, and divinity and is most often used by priests, religious heads, gods and the like. It can purify, corrupt, create, destroy and allow vision to other places and much more. Spiritual magic however, operates on faith, belief and/or similar ideals, so is the most difficult magic to control and use due to this limitation.

 **Omni magic** , sometimes called non elemental, neutral or unaligned magic, is magic that focuses on things other than spiritual beings or the elements. The mind and body, as well as alchemy, telekinetics, summoning and some forms of Necromancy are all considered Omni magic.

 **Magicians, titles and teaching -** Magicians are those who learn and practice magic as their primary ability or skill, and hold position in nearly every facet of the alliance, both military and civil. A magician is titled by their power and level of training.

 **Apprentice Magicians** are those who are learning the very basics or unable to learn past the basics.

 **Trained magicians** are those who have finished learning the basics and moderate teaching of magic that most schools are willing to give. To advance further they must enroll in a magic school.

 **High magician** is the last rank of magician, only given to those who have completed their tenure at a magic school.

Classes to learn magic are offered at all elementary, middle and high schools in the alliance and alongside the free cost of schooling, these courses are free. To become a high magician however, magicians must apply, and enroll in one of the four magic schools, operated on the Dreadnaughts of the four highest ranking Operatives. The operatives have other magicians under them that act as teachers, while they act as each of their own schools headmaster. Each school has differing focuses, allowing those who wish to enroll to choose what suits them best. These ships hold the classification of Magical Academy ship(MAS) in addition to their classifications as Alliance Operative ship(AOS)

The AOS/MAS Philosophe, Head mastered, commanded by High Magician Patchouli knowledge, specializes in Elemental magic, with Omni magic behind it, and Spiritual magic taking lowest priority.

The AOS/MAS White Lotus, Head mastered by High magician Byakurren Hijiri, specializes in Spiritual magic, then Omni and elemental.

The AOS/MAS Wonderland, Head mastered by High magician Alice Margatroid, specializes in Omni magic, with Elemental and spiritual magic after that.

The AOS/MAS Final Spark, Head mastered by High magician Marisa Kirisame, Specializes in Elemental magic, then Omni and spiritual like the Philosophe does, but specializes in power optimization and alchemy in its Omni magic.

Students that enroll in any of these three school and pass the four years of curriculum graduate as High magicians, however, if they fail any class in any year, they are held back in that year. Additionally, Students enrolled act both as students and Crew for the ship, and are expected to act according to their station while acting as crew, and as students.

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Bio – Anderson

Name: David Anderson

Race: Human – Trained Magician

Gender: Male

Age: 21

Power rank: D

Powers: Elemental Magic (Earth/water focus)

Capabilities/skills: Magician training, specializing in earth and water magic's. He is also skilled in understanding a field of battle and leading small numbers of others.

Bio: Born in London England Earth, David Anderson had a distinct skill for earth and water magic at a young age and throughout his school life had taken classes to hone it. At the age of fourteen his family moved to Shanxi. When he completed high school he enrolled n Shanxi's Magician academy and completed near the top of his class, gaining recognition as a trained magician. He has attempted to get accepted into one of the magician schools, but has been unable to and enrolled in the military with the hopes of getting into an alliance magician regiment. When his basic training was completed he was put to Shanxi, and while waiting for his papers of notification to see if he was being transferred to a magician force or not, news of First contact was released to the public.

He is considered to be a friendly and intelligent man, willing to help others when he can, but also willing to carry out orders to the best of his ability. He excels at magic meant to defend himself and others, or limit the actions of his foes.

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Bio – Jack

Name: Jack Harper

Race: Human – Trained Magician

Gender: Male

Age: 20

Power rank: D

Powers: Elemental Magic (Fire/Metal Focus)

Capabilities/skills: Magician Training, specializing in combined metal and fire magic. Skilled in sowing fear and taking out heavy enemies though constant damage and piercing their defences.

Bio: Born and Raised on Shanxi by an orphanage until he set out on his own in his sixteenth year, applying for part time military service to pay for his lodging while going to high school. There he met David Anderson, and become oddly quick friends. The two of them learned magic together, and had both applied to get into a magician school, but the first contact and subsequent preparation of Shanxi's defence has put such worries on the back burner.

Jack harper is an aggressive person who enjoys seeing his own actions affect others, as he was affected by others. Hot headed and impulsive, he specializes in metal and fire magic, forming streams of molten slag that can cut, pierce and burn through his opponents armour and magic with kinetic force and liquid heat.

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Bio – Eva

Name: Eva Core

Race: Youkai – Gorgon

Gender: Female

Age: 24

Power rank: D

Powers: Petrifying Gaze/ Elemental earth magic (Petrification)

Capabilities/skills: Natural earth magic talent. Can petrify people with her gaze and factor in that ability to other magic. can grow claws of stone at will.

Bio: Born on Earth, Eva Core is a youkai who never knew her parents and was sent to an orphanage at a young age. she was sent to the Shanxi orphanage, meeting Jack there, but her abilities as a gorgon set her apart from most others making her have difficulty speaking to people. Jack however was not one to let such things dissuade him, and became friends with her. When jack set off on his own Eva stayed at the orphanage to help it stay together while she was in school, but joined the alliance military training with jack.

As a gorgon she has a natural affinity for earth magic, specifically magic that slows or petrifies, and can focus this affinity into her gaze to petrify people in a matter of seconds. she can control this power from learning it over the years, but it still makes her unwilling to start conversations with new people, and she is highly nervous around those she does not know well. Those she knows well however get to see what he truly is like.

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Bio – Kahlee

Name: Kahlee Sanders

Race: Half Lunarian (Human/Lunarian)

Gender: Female

Age: 25

Power rank: E

Powers: Enhancement (can temporarily boost one of her own natural senses, usually sight.) advanced physical prowess.

Capabilities/skills: skilled with most weapons and armaments. Expert skills with Type 7 pulse rifle. Understands battlefield tactics and strategy and has survival skills and trapping/ambush knowledge.

Bio: Born on Luna, Kahlee led a life that was considered normal for many Lunarians and half Lunarians. When she joined the alliance military she was part of the same training group as David, jack and Eva, and got to know them well. Getting sent to Shanxi with them she got to know them more intimately as they tried to move forward with their teachings, and she discovered her hidden desire for David.

While she has minimal magical prowess and capability, as a half-Lunarian she has gained the ability to enhance a sense, in addition to the large variety of weapon skills she trained with while in and before training. She excels in military tactics, but because of her nature she is unsure how to command people and is normally quiet, unassuming or just polite and helpful. When push comes to shove however she can give out orders like a drill sergeant.


	8. CH8 - Caved Cabal

**Authors note: No Flandre tis chapter, sorry, but that next chapter. istead we're going caving!**

 **On a different note, I have basically everything in my head for future events except for one thing. Shepard. I still haven't decided whether he'll be human, youkai, Lunarian, a magician, or if a touhou character will take his/her place. So to help decide I've made up a poll that asks that exact question. It is on my profile page so please throw your answer on it when you can. (Poll will not show on mobile unless you are in desktop mode when you go to my profile page.)**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

Keine Kamishirasawa Ran through the empty streets of Xi'an, worry powering her steps and speed completely on their own as she charged ahead.

She should have been, and had just been, at the Scarlet Devil Mansion that sat inside Xi'an. Normally it acted as a summer home for the Scarlets and had been before the notice of possible invasion. When the public was told the situation and Xi'an Began to prepare for the impending attack, Flandre Scarlet who had been using the summer home, Came to Keine while she was meeting with other teachers on Xi'an to figure out what to do. she had graciously offered to have The Scarlet Summer home act as a place for all the Cities children and teachers to stay, both for safety, and to allow them a sense of normalcy within its walls.

It was common knowledge to most people that any place the Scarlet sisters were willing to stay would be nearly impervious to attack, and the fact that their summer home had been heavily enchanted by their own power, and those of Patchouli knowledge, meant that the walls would not fall to anything less than a true cataclysm.

Keine and the Teachers of Xi'an Accepted immediately without even a second thought!

In the past there would have been worries, second thoughts, and serious complaints, but that was the past, and Flandre was not the insane child she once was. And Keine knew her well enough to know that Flandre was doing this for both of their sakes. The children would be kept safe, and if any aliens came to call they would end up on the end of her sword, or battered and beaten down by Meiling, who had come with Flandre to the summer home.

The moving of each of Xi'an's three schools children was a complicated and slow process, but had been finished right before alien ships had been located in the system. It had been cut close, but everyone had been brought to the summer home, Rooms had been divvied out to everyone, and a schedule set up so everyone could have a relatively normal time, while outside the fighting would continue. it had been good for the first few hours as well, Keine couldn't even hear the noise from inside the summer home as she taught, and the only thing that even made it clear there was a war going on was the fact that she could see smoke out some of the windows, or would occasionally see flashes from gunfire, magic or explosions.

Then, as the last class of the day began and she looked over her class she noticed one student, by the name of Kaiden, was missing. The rest of the class was initially tight lipped, but the threat of additional homework, detention and no magical studies or Phys Ed finally loosened their lips. The missing student in question had forgotten his homework at home, so had left to go get it. under normal circumstances Keine would be annoyed, yet impressed by his willingness to go and get it, instead of just saying he forgot like so many did. But it was a literal warzone outside of the Scarlet summer home, and the thought of him being captured by the invading aliens and experimented on was far too much for Keine to even think about staying still. Once she had gotten another teacher to cover her class, she bolted out of the summer home, leapt right over its outer gate and into the city.

Keine and the other teachers all agreed that they would ignore any information about the wars progress unless it was someone coming and informing them of its end, in the hopes that they would not worry the children. This meant that she had no knowledge on what the situation was officially like. This did not mean however, that she could not gain a quick understanding of the situation from the sounds and sights around her.

The sounds of Laser fire could be heard in the distance like the hum of machinery, telling her that the Barriers built closest to them, part of the second defence line, had not yet fallen or fallen back. The fact that she could see some amounts of smoke, and could not hear laser fire or the sound of magic from further to the cities edge however, meant that either the first line had fallen, or was in the middle of falling back.

She had to hurry, the last thing she wanted was Aliens finding and capturing one of the children she had sworn to protect!

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"Dam, this is not going as well." Saren muttered as he peeked out from behind the side of a building. Down the road was an Alien barrier like the one the cabals had already helped break past once, but this one was different. The first barrier had been nearly three meters tall, and had only three gun emplacements upon it. This barrier however, covered a roadway twice as wide, and was nearly seven meters tall. No less than twelve emplacements had been reported by the scout who looked over the fortifications, and when they had looked over the streets and areas around it, they found alleyways and side streets blocked off, mined, and trapped so heavily that only one scout returned to report the situation.

The scout had figured that the emplacements on this barrier were the same as past emplacements, but when the main force decided to go ahead with a frontal attack, led by Turian Armour, the offence was quickly turned on its head. Like the previous barrier it had many of the strange 'laser cannons' as the Turians had taken to calling them. They fired dozens of red shots that simply ignored their barriers by the second, and their firing area seemed to be set in a cone, saturation a large area with such inaccurate but dangerous fire. Then there were the beams guns they had used against them once already. Their kinetic barriers could block these, if for a second. After that the beam would cut right through any infantry in its path, and over time even vehicle armour was not safe.

What truly upset the Turian forces advance however, was the third type of emplacement that sat on the barrier. Its gun was large, easily as large as an air car. Bolted into the barrier itself, the emplacement looked like someone had welded two mass relays together, only instead of glowing blue in the centre, it glowed a sickening green. The 'gun' slowly turned toward the Turian armours location, pointing seemingly at the ground and not at a Jiris. The Glowing center of the gun began vibrating, pulsing, and then it fired, a massive blast of green energy flying out of it. The prongs of the gun began to glow instantly as green energy arced off them as the shot went past them and the shot flew perfectly straight into the ground, and every Turian that was further away realized why it hadn't targeted a Jiris directly.

It didn't need to.

The blast was not an explosion like a rocket or missile, but a massive unfolding wave of energy and electricity. It coated nearly the entire width of the street in a second, flash heating any jiris near it as the electrical surge burned through their systems. jiris tanks exploded, went critical, melted on the spot, or simply stopped working, and any infantryman near them was killed intensity, burned into piled of char and slag.

Once the weapon had fired once it seemed to go into a low power mode, allowing the prongs of its gun to cool. The damage it had dealt however made the Turian force very wary of nearing even close to the barrier, and after some quick communications with other forces, it became clear that every barrier had one of these massive and horrifying guns.

"Not going well is an understatement." Another cabal said with a sigh as he aimed at the barrier with a sniper rifle, letting his shot loose only to swear under his breath a second later.

A sudden screeching roared above them as a Turian Fighter soared over head, firing a pair of missiles at the barrier. The missiles stuck it right in the centre of the barrier, but had done little damage to it on its own. It was the third airstrike against the barrier, and each had done no better than the last, as if something was jamming their missiles targeting ability.

As the Fighter flew up into the air an turned to get some distance from the barrier, a barrage of yellow colored bolts flew through the air from someplace behind the barrier. One shot clipped the fighters wing, producing a long trail of smoke, but it did manage to get away and head for the airfield that likely sat at the Turian Landing zone.

"Dam AA is making it difficult for the fighters." Saren said grimly as he glanced around. All the buildings around them were made of solid stone, making them defence able cover at distance, but there was no cover closer to the barrier. The entire road was a kill zone for its emplacements including its massive 'overkill gun*' as all the soldiers had taken to calling it. "We need a different option, a different path, or at least some way to flank them and gain an advantage. Perhaps the scouts missed something?"

"Perhaps they did," the captain of the cabal squad said as he walked over. Normally everyone would salute his presence but with the battle line so close to them, and everyone nervous about the massive gun, no one saluted and the captain was not put off about it. "We've got new orders. We'll be going off on our own. We are to find any way to get past that barrier. Anything goes."

This made every cabal grip their weapons tightly with a smile, they were going to do what cabals did best. Get the job done!

"When do we move?" Saren asked calmly.

"Now; we'll split onto four groups of three each. We'll spread out over this area. Look for anything of use, enemy locations, weapon variety, troop composition, anything. If you can get around and attack a barrier without compromising you do so, but information if more essential at this moment. Let's move!"

Nearly half an hour later, Saren and two other cabals were moving down a length of roadway weapons up and ready for anything. They hadn't encountered any of the aliens anywhere but the barriers, but they were not about to be caught unaware. The more they moved through the city, the stranger if felt to them, like something or someone was watching them at all times. The only things around them were buildings and the occasional yellow flowering plant, nearly as tall as they were. It was unnerving.

"I see movement ahead." a cabal said quietly as he pressed his body against a wall and pointed down a shallow hill. At the bottom of the hill, something went into a building. Saren hadn't gotten a good look at it, but it was small, smaller than a vorcha.

"Let's check it out." Saren said as all three of them stealthily moved toward the building. Just before arriving they saw the creature in question come out of the building. It looked like a tiny Asari, similar in size to the aliens that had supposedly been in the forest, but had no wings. It had brown colored fur on its head, and held something in its hands. It looked like a child possibly, but considering the aliens in the forest had looked like children, they were not about to lower their weapons.

"Don't move! Put your, hands in the air!" one cabal demanded, for a second unsure if the alien had hands until he saw them himself. They were like an Asari's as well, five fingered, and holding what looked to be some kind of package.

The alien turned to them, looking at them with fear through green eyes that reminded them even more of an Asari. These aliens, if this was one of their young, looked so similar to an Asari it was actually unnerving. The alien was completely still as if frozen in fear, then it took a step backwards, then another, and another.

"Do not move. Stop or we shoot." Saren said carefully, showing the alien an open hand to try to get his message across.

In response, the alien turned and began running away as fast as its small legs would carry it, yelling and screaming something unintelligible as it ran.

"Dammit, don't shoot, we can catch it for information!" one cabal said as he ran after the alien. The other and Saren followed, silently agreeing with him. If the alien was a child, running some simple scans could provide them with a great amount of information on these aliens, and if worse came to worse, they could use it as a bargaining chip to make the aliens surrender, though they would need more than just one child for such a tactic. At the very least it could cause a disparity among the aliens themselves when one of their young was captured, and as long as they treated it well, they would look good for protecting an innocent from harm when its own kind could not.

One thing confused Saren as he ran though. They hadn't found any aliens except at the barriers, so where had this young alien come from? Was there a place they were staying? Did the aliens have some form of transport under the city? Sewers or tunnels perhaps? It hadn't occurred to him until then, but that could be a way to get around the barriers! First though they need to catch the small alien. It could be the first alien to be part of a safe camp*.

The alien ran around a corner and disappeared from sight, but quickly let out a scream. It was unclear why, until the three of them turned the corner and found the alien on the ground, and a squad of Truians standing on front of it.

"Saren?!" one Turian asked in surprise, Making Saren look up to see his brother standing before him.

"Desolas, what are you doing here?"

"Our force has been tasked with investigating a large building near here," Desolas answered quickly as he glanced down to the alien, now looking up at them all with an expresio nthat could only be fear. "Were you ordered to-"

"Our cabal was ordered to try to look for information on how to get past a barrier," Saren answered quickly. " When we were looking we me across this alien, we think it's a child, so were trying to catch it to find more about these aliens and get it to a safe camp."

"A child? You were trying to capture and interrogate a child?" Desolas asked in surprise, his voice tinted with anger.

"Don't give me that Desolas," Saren said as he pointed down at the alien. "The more we know about these aliens the Better it will be for them when they become a client race of the Hierarchy!"

"That is not-" Desolas began to say, until a new voice called out, sounding full of fear and relief.

Everyone turned to the source of the new voice, weapons ready, and found another alien standing nearby, at the edge of a building. The alien was female; if the shape of its body being like an Asari's was anything go by. It wore a long green dress, and had fur from its head hanging down to nearly its legs, also green. Two horns came out of its head, and its red eyes looked only at the alien between them as she spoke in a language they could not understand.

The young alien immediately got up and ran over to the female alien, who crouched down and caught the younger aliens charging hug with her whole body , holding its back and head as it appeared to cry against her form.

Saren and Desolas looked at each other, and Saren quickly took a step toward the two aliens, leveling his gun at them. "Stand up and do not move! You are coming with us, understand?"

The alien female looked up at Saren, then back down at the child and said something. As she stood up the child circled around behind her, and clung to her leg for a few seconds before turning and running down the street behind her.

"the kids getting away!" one cabal exclaimed as he took a step forward, stopping when the alien woman Raised both of her arms up to her sides and glared at them. "She's blocking us. What is she going to do, stare us to death?"

"Enough, one alien is as good as another for study." Saren said, making Desolas sneer at his words. "You are coming with us, do you understand me?" Saren asked carefully. The alien woman looked at them, glaring like an Asari huntress would. She had no weapons on her though, so what danger could she really be? "Tie her arms up and we'll take her back to the forward camp outside the city. a full grown alien will have more information to give us."

Another cabal moved to do just that, and the alien woman did not move, at least until the cabal was within striking distance. As he reached for her arms, they shot up and grabbed the Turians, then to everyone surprise the alien woman threw his arms to the side and copied the Krogan, slamming her head into the Turians own! The Turian stood for a second before falling backwards onto the road as she let go of him, and immediately the other cabal moved forward and looked him over, then pointed his gun at the alien woman. "He's dead, she killed him, with her head!"

As soon as the words left him, every Turian moved to raise their weapons, but the female was already moving. With a speed that her body did not show, she closed the distance with the second cabal and swung a leg up against the side of his body as he tried to stand. her kick struck him right I nthe side, and with a sickening crack he was sent tumbling down the street. Following through on her motions her then crouched down and sprinted at the nearest Turian, one of Desolas's people, and tackled them backwards into the group, knocking nearly everyone down before she leapt backwards, increasing the distance between them as easily as she closed it.

Saren roared as he pulled the trigger on his gun, all the aliens' motions taking barely a second, and shocking everyone that hadn't been hit. His gun fired instantly, toward the alien, but with a strange agility she began back stepping and held up a hand, an off barrier forming in front of her and blocking all of his bullets as she further increased the distance between them.

As she neared the end of the street she leapt into the air and the barrier in front of her disappeared as she threw both of her arms in front of her, palms open. Immediately a swarm of blue and green balls appeared and pulsed out, forming a beautiful if terrifyingly effective barrage that landed all around them. The barrage did not break any of the street or buildings when they stuck, but every Turian hit felt as if they had been tackle by as Krogan as the shot sent them flailing backwards. From striking the ground so rapidly, a massive dust cloud formed around them as everyone fell, but quickly dissipated as the strange attacks stopped, and the alien was nowhere to be seen.

" What, what the spirits was that!" one of Desolas's people said in shock and disbelief. "she looked like an Asari, head-butts like a Krogan, kicks like an assassin and fired concussion shots like shotgun blasts from her hands!?"

"Yeah, that was impossible." Another said in shock as she got up.

"How many are hurt? what's our injured and dead like?" Desolas asked quickly as he walked over and helped his brother up off the ground.

"impossible. These aliens, their monsters!" Saren declared as he was helped up.

"No, we just don't know what they are capable of." Desolsas countered as he looked around, seeing that the aliens strange attack hadn't effected the area around them at all. "I wonder what that was, it put us out completely. Imagine what we could do with such a capability!"

"Bah, worthless savage technology," Saren said with a wave as he clutched his shoulder a bit and looked at the two cabal on the ground, neither of them moving at all. "I swear these aliens will regret resisting the hierarchy once this is over!"

Desolas sighed as Orinia walked over. "Two casualties, five wounded, mostly brushing and a couple broken bones from that weird attack." Orinia said as she glanced at the two dead cabal. "The two casualties."

"Dam, did that alien kill them and leave us fine intentionally, or was it just how it happened I wonder. They didn't even have a chance to use their biotics." Desolas said quietly as he looked back to his brother. "Saren, we should-"

"No, I'll head back to my Cabal. Inform them of our losses." Saren said as he walked over to the two dead cabal members and pulled their identity plates out of their armor. "I'll head back to the base camp on my own once I've done that." He then added as he clutched at his right shoulder, clearly in pain as he began walking down the street, limping as he did.

"Do you need some-"

"No, I'm going alone. I don't need your help!" Saren barked as he walked off.

"Is that alright?" Orinia asked after a moment of silence.

"It's fine. My brother is very . . . he's a good Turian but he despises having help given to him. He wants to be the one to give help, not take it."

"I meant him going off on his own. He may be a biotic, but he's obviously wounded, and alone, in a City we are besieging!"

Desolas looked at Orinia for a moment and nodded, understanding what she was getting at. "Send our wounded with an escort to head back to the base to get medical attention. My brother will be fine though, and sending people to follow him would just anger him more."

Orinia turned and began giving orders, allowing Desolas a moment to look over the body of the first cabal that been killed, killed by a head-butt. Getting head-butted by a Krogan was one thing that few races wanted to do. Krogans had thick skulls and had natural plates on their heads that were sturdy and strong. The alien that had head-butted him however, had horns on the side of her head, but otherwise looked like an Asari, with no other points of interest on her body, at least that would be physically dangerous. So when Desolas looked at the cabals head, and saw him bleeding from his eyes and nose it was quiet a surprise that one head-butt from the alien could cause so much trauma.

Then Desolas looked at the other cabal and was surprised again. The side of his torso was devastated, His armor bent and buckled and leaking blue blood from between the cracks. a quick scan told him that nearly every bone in his side was broken. His neck was broken as well, likely done when he tumbled across the ground from being kicked by the alien's long smooth leg.

Desolas stopped for a second and shook his head. Thoughts of the alien female's body were seeping into his head, which was more than a bit ridiculous. Races normally felt attraction only to their own species, the only exception were the Asari, likely because they could mate with any race and were attractive to all other races ideas of beauty. Were these aliens more similar to the Asari than he initially thought?

"Sir, our wounded are heading out, but before we move on, there's something I think you should know."

Desolas pushed his wayward thoughts out of his head and turned to Orinia, nodding for her to continue.

"I had put my Omni tool into passive scanning mode when we came into the city, in the hopes it would pick something up. When that Alien attacked us with those blasts as it ran, it seems my Omni tool picked it up. The attacks it hit us with were the same as those flying Aliens in the frest had used, albeit the energy rating was a magnitude stronger."

". . .you're saying that the attack we just witnessed was the same those flying aliens used. So they are related?"

"Possibly. I'm thinking maybe it's an environmental ability, like how the Asari are all biotics."

"Then why have none of them used such abilities at the barriers?"

"I think they have sir. The flying aliens attacks were small and of varied colors, that aliens also were of varied colors, but were much larger. I believe they may have been simply more powerful, and if this entire race all has such an ability; much of the attacks hitting our people may not even be actual weapons fire, but their equivalent to biotics."

" By the spirits," Desolas said with a sigh, as a sudden realization kicked in. if that woman was powerful enough to kill two cabals with her bare hands, and wounded others with one simple attack, were these aliens even using their full strength against them? "Contact Oraka and tell him what we've just seen. The rest of our forces need to know not to engage these aliens in melee if at all possible!"

"Yes, I've already been writing the message, it will be sent in a moment. There is one other thing though . . ."

"And it is?"

"We're being followed."

"By?"

"Well . . . that furry creature we saw in the forest I think. I keep catching glimpses of it. When the alien woman attack I thought I saw her glance to the side, and when I looked where I thought she did, I saw that fuzzy creature again."

Desolas was quiet as he glanced around for a few seconds, then catching sight of the exact same creature at the edge of a building down the street, before it dicked behind it out of sight. "You think its coincidence maybe? The creature could just be curious and followed us perhaps?"

"Maybe, but I have this feeling that it is why that alien did not kill any more than she did. Maybe that creature is curious, but I think maybe it's some kind of folk animal for these people or something."

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"The aliens appear to have brought in artillery alongside their air forces. The second line is reporting indirect fire on them. Three barriers have lost their Vajra's to indirect fire and air attacks." Yuuka said casually as he tapped the screen before her in Xi'an's combat centre.

"Dam, those things are expensive!" Williams stated, before adding as an afterthought, "Though we did just rip them from the cruisers that were stationed here."

"The cruisers suggested we do it in the first place. The Vajra guns don't fire well in atmosphere, but they deal massive damage. They've taken out many alien units already. Losing a couple of them at this stage wont-"Yuka stopped for a second as she grimaced. "Won't make much of a difference."

Williams looked at Yuuka with a worried gaze "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Yuuka stated in a powerful tone as she tapped the panel a few more times. "the aliens seem to be focusing their artillery fire on specific barriers. the others either-" Yuuka stopped and grimaced again, going so far as to shut her eyes for a moment "-cannot be hit, or will be hit later, I think."

Williams then noticed that Yuuka seemed to be breathing heavily. "Yuuka, has your-" Williams stopped speaking as he thought he heard something, then focused his attention to his ears for a second, hearing the sound of dripping water. "-water broke!" He then finished in realization, fear, wonder, and shock.

Yuuka looked at Williams for a second and nodded. "Just a moment ago." she finally admitted. "the contractions have started."

"Why did you not say soemthign! we need to get you to your room!"

"No, its fine!" Yuuka insisted as she continued to tap at the panel." I am still needed here, and if I go, my sunflowers will stop-" she took a slight pained breath "-shooting at the aliens aircraft.

Williams stood and looked at his wife with the entirety of the command centre staring at the spectacle in complete silence. Then he very carefully tapped a single button on the console, and said three words. "Elly, Situation thirteen."

"Wait, what? You contacted Elly?" Yuuka asked, in surprise. "And what is situation thirteen?"

The door to the command centre swung open with a heavy crack and Elly, Yuuka's long-time servant stepped in, red dress billowing about at her feet and scythe slung over her shoulder. She wore no hat, but in the dimmed light of the command centre one was not needed. n her one hand she was pushing a wheelchair, and looked at Yuuka with a smile. "This is situation thirteen, Lady Yuuka, please get in and I will take you to your room."

"I'm not leaving Elly, there is still much to do, and I'm sure I can deal with a few contractions from my impatient brat!"

Elly looked at Yuuka and smiled. " I already Told Karin to be ready for us to arrive. if we don't leave soon she will come looking for you."

At Elly's words the entire command room felt cold. Karin Chakwas was a Lunarian Doctor, one who had trained and learned under Eirin Yagokoro. she was known be a nice woman in person, but absolutely cold and brutal when those under her care would not cooperate. it was rumored she could make anyone comply with her wishes as long as they were medical in nature, and the fact that Yuuka grimaced, albeit only slightly, said volumes to that point.

Yuuka nodded and slowly began getting out of her seat, clearly having trouble as she did.

"Here, let me help you." Elly said with a smile as she moved the wheelchair closer and helped Yuuka into it.

"Thank you Elly. Let's not keep the doctor waiting."

"Don't you mean your baby?" Elly said with a grin. "I still can't believe I'm going to be an aunt!"

Yuuka groaned in exasperation as Elly began wheeling her out of the room, allowing her to gaze ay Williams. "Roger. if anything happens to you, I will personally break you out of hell to turn you to ash myself, understand!"

"Yes, I understand" Williams said as he Yuuka was rolled out. "Ash huh?" Williams muttered as he looked at a single line of words on a screen on the wall and smiled.

 **Time until Mage fleet arrival: 13minutes**

"Just hold a little longer everyone." Williams said with a smile. "This farce of a operation will soon be over!"

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Codex –

 **Overkill gun / Vajra cannon -** A massive Gun that Turian forces encountered at the barriers of the second defensive line in Xi'an. They called it an overkill gun due to its size and damage, but in truth it is called a Vajra cannon.

Vajra cannons are a midsized Pulse cannon designed for light and heavy cruisers for short ranged heavy hitting. While able to be powered and mounted planeside, their design limits their usability, as their shots cannot hold their form for longer than a second, and because of this their range is limited to barely 500 meters in atmosphere.

The Vajra cannons use by the second defensive line on Shanxi were taken from the Cruisers that had orbited Shanxi. Knowing that the enemy fleet would likely be too large for them, they gave the defence forces their guns and then went into battle with only skeleton crews, sacrificing themselves to give the planet a little bit more time. The majority of the skeleton crews were Fairy's however, so the actual loss of life in this maneuver was minimal.

 **Safe camp -** Safe camps are a Turian concept that they use while pacifying a city, be them alien, or other Turian cities like during their civil war. A Safe camp is established inside a city, and civilians are brought to it to all be kept in one place. When a city is taken over Turian execution squads will go door to door. Those who do not willingly allow themselves to be taken to the camp, or express even a hint of anger or violent against the Turian forces are killed on the spots and their bodied taken to be cremated. The Turian military makes use of Safe camps and execution squads to speed up the pacification of planets, but have not used this tactic in many years due to lack of need.

Operative Bio – Keine

Name: Keine Kamishirasawa

Race: Youkai –Hakutaku

Gender: Female

Age: unknown, over 200 – looks mid to late 20's.

Power rank: A

Class: 3

Class Specifics: While Keine is amazing at protecting others, she has extreme difficulty willingly leading other into combat knowing they could be hurt, and as such prefers to fight alone, or only with those she inherently trusts completely.

Powers: Consuming, creation and manipulation of History based upon moon phases.

Capabilities/skills: physical prowess, history manipulation. Historical knowledge. General knowledge. Nigh unbreakable skull.

Bio: As a long time teacher, Keine is adept at teaching and knowing were people need help, in more than just their education. She has acted as a teacher and older sister type to many people over the years, and is highly respected for her skills in teaching and her physical and Danmaku prowess that she uses to protect those under her.

Keine is a warm-hearted woman as long as no one is in danger, but even then, she cares most for those she is protecting, and is admittedly weak to hostage tactics unless she can get them out of the way.

while she is an operative, she has mostly worked just as a teacher constantly since before the alliances creation, and sees no reason to stop anytime soon. Her place as an operative was mostly for looks and to help her keep her position so she would not get moved around against her will.


	9. CH9 - The Red Lady

**Authors note: No space battle just yet. Next chapter. Almost there. First its time for elegant lady Flandre and friends!**

"So what you are saying is that you believe the aliens are coming here?" asked a voice from one side of the door. The door itself was made of dark red wood, carved with the intricate shape of a massive tree with roots deep in a lake, full of bodies.

"Yes. They were heading in this direction when I encountered them." Keine Kamishirasawa said as she learned against the wall beside the door, her dress and hair now blue, and her horns nowhere in sight. "I felt very slightly nauseous when I hit the first two aliens I struck, so I believe some of them have some sort of connection to Element zero. Their actual physical capability however was appalling."

"You think Meiling could take them all down then perhaps?" The voice from the other side of the door, very much a woman's voice, asked with a hint of curiosity.

"If she used her full strength and was careful about their weapon ranges, I doubt she would get more than a tiny cut on her body." Keine answered honestly.

"oh? Just because they physically seem weak? Didn't you say they had claws and guns?"

"Yes, but the ones I took out seemed to have no intention of using their claws, and the Weaponry looked rather, fragile. My barrier blocked them without difficulty."

Silence passed for a moment before the splashing of water could be heard from beyond the door, and the woman behind it spoke up again, her voice fuller and easier to hear. "You said they were being followed by a Tanuki right?"

"Yes, though I was unable to make out whether it was-"

"It's her, I'm sure of it. My instincts are telling me so."

"Mine as well, though I am loathe to jump to assumptions."

"Hmm, you said there were two groups of aliens, right? Where they together?"

"The way they stood says they were not. I believe they were different groups, squad's maybe. At most they are two groups traveling together, but the one group was much smaller, so it seems unlikely."

"The larger group was the one she was following right?"

"It appeared that way." Keine said as she stepped away from the wall and turned to the door. "Would you like me to go and inform Meiling that she may have guests?"

"Please do. But just tell her to stop other groups from coming in. if the group she's following approaches; I would like them invited in.

"Invite them-" Keine stopped speaking for a second before she let out a sigh. "You're planning on toying with them, aren't you?"

"No. I'm curious actually. If she's following them, there must be a reason. I want to speak to them, and find out exactly what is going on. If they refuse, then I might play with them a bit." The woman said her tone turning sadistic at the last second.

"Goodness, please don't let my students see such bloodlust."

"Don't worry, I can control myself! Do you think a basic Translation spell will work to understand them?"

"A basic one, no. An advanced one may, but I am not entirely sure."

"Okay. I'll be out in a bit, so thank you for telling me about this."

"It's no trouble." Keine said as she took a step away from the door and stopped. "I'll be returning to my class."

"You don't want to join in on the conversation with them? With aliens?" the voice asked expectantly. "Your class will be over soon anyway right?"

" . . . . . .You want me there to ask the more informative questions, don't you?"

Nothing but silence responded.

Keine was quiet for a moment before nodding to herself. The chance to actually be one of the first to speak with these aliens was something she honestly didn't want to pass up. "Alright, I'll be there."

"In that case, how about we do this-"

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"The Building is just ahead, you'll want to see this." A Turian scout of what remained of Desolas's squad said as he walked over. After sending their injured back to camp Desolas had decided that sending a scout ahead would be a good idea, and with his squad now down to nine people, everyone agreed with the idea.

"Alright, we're moving out!" Desolas called out. " Weapons at the ready, but do not fire till I give the word."

Everyone nodded as The scout led the squad down the street alongside the buildings, keeping in the sparse shadows that fell in front of them. After a couple of minute they came to the edge of a building and glanced around it to see the building they were supposed to investigate, and realized their mission might not be as simple as it had first sounded.

Taking up a whole block of the city was a gigantic Building of Red stone. It had a sparse number of windows for its size, but was easily had two levels, and possibly a third hidden under its high reaching roof. Surrounding the Building was a wall of Black stone, though it seemed to have some sort of red undertone to it, like red cracks barely visible at a distance. The wall itself was likely ten feet tall, and was lined with long pointed spikes that shot out both straight up and down toward the street. Without jump jets it would be impossible to scale without injury and demolishing it would attract attention.

"I don't see an entrance." Desolas said with a hint of annoyance in his tone that Orinia noticed immediately.

"Is this the back of the buildings perhaps?" She asked the scout with a whisper.

The scout nodded. "I believe so. I think the main entrance is around the next street."

"Then let's not waste time. We need to see if its entrance is guarded." Desolas said quickly as he and the rest of the squad crossed the road and began moving forward beside the wall itself, hoping to use it as cover.

"This wall is weird." Orinia said as she ran her hand across the walls surface. "It's cool. Disturbingly so."

"It looks like it's made of stone, why wouldn't it be?" One Turina asked calmly.

"I mean really cool. Like heat is being drawn out of it!"

Desolas took his one hand off his gun and slightly touched the wall with just a claw. Immediately his claw felt cold, and it was like heat was being pulled out of the area around it just as Orinia had explained. "Spirits that is strange." He swore as he pulled his claw away, it taking a few second for the cold feeling to disappear.

"Maybe it's the composition or-" Orinia stopped as the sound of Mass accelerator fire was heard around the upcoming corner of the wall.

" Spirits! Move, double time!" Desolas roared as he sprinted forward, the rest of the squad behind him.

Desolas thought they could save another squad if it was in trouble, and after seeing what the alien with horns had done to some of his men, he thought he'd be ready for whatever was around the corner. When he came around and saw the scene before him however, it became clear that he was not.

Barely fifteen meters down the wall was a section of wall that was instead comprised of a large gate made of dark red metal. Before it was a full squad of Turian forces, except half the squad was on the ground, their bodies broke and mangled, their limbs shattered and bent, and blue blood trailing out of them onto the street. The rest of the squad in question was standing a couple meters away, holding their weapons up in unsteady, fearful claws at the one who looked clearly responsible for half their squads dead.

The Alien Responsible stood in the middle of the Turian bodies, and looked nothing like what Desolas's squad figured it would look like. They had only seen the one alien up close, so they assumed the all had horns, but this Alien had no horns sticking up out of its red orange fur on its head. The alien appeared female if the shape of its body, protruding chest and long legs were any indicator, and its clothing was similar, but still very different from the first alien they had encountered. Its clothing appeared to a separate top and bottom, the top covering halfway down its upper arms while it was pressed tightly against the body. The lower half of the clothing appeared to be some sort of dress like the first aliens, but this one was shorter, going down to just past her knees and had sliced down the side that appeared to be meant for allowing movement. The Alien stared at the other Turian squad with eyes the color of an ocean, and stood in what Desolas was sure was some sort of martial combat stance that he could not recognize.

"D-die monster!" One of the Turian standing away from the alien yelled as he, and the entire remnants of his squad fired their weapons. A hail of mass accelerator fire, far more than sufficient to take out a single alien soared through the space between them. At the last second the alien threw her elbow forward and her opposite hand open beside it, and a barrier of glowing energy formed before her, blocking every single accelerator round as if they had struck an impenetrable kinetic barrier.

The Turian group fired until their weapons all overheated, Giving Desolas's squad time to move in and aim weapons at the Alien, though they did not fire as Desolas looked at the terrified squad, still holding their triggers down and expecting them to fire. They were clearly terrified, so much so they had forgotten their training. "Soldier, who's in command of your squad?!" Desolas called out, getting both the other squad, and the Aliens attention. The alien did not move however and merely kept its stance.

"I- I am, sir. The Co is dead." One of the terrified Turians responded as he still glared at the Alien with his trigger pulled so far back it looked like it would snap under his claw.

"Why is that alien not fighting back?"

"It is! It killed half our squad and-"

"It's not attacking now. Do you know why?"

"I- it only attacks when you get close. If you attack at range it just makes that weird biotic barrier. Our captain tried to move I and incapacitate it, but he was killed so brutally I don't think a bone is left in one piece in his body!" he responded as he suddenly threw down his Phaeston and pulled out a pistol, aiming it at the aliens head.

"Okay. What is your name?" Desolas asked calmly, now knowing that if the Alien would not attack ,he had time to try to control the situation.

"I-Ivremis, sir."

"okay, Ivremis, I know that alien killed a lot of your squad, but it only attacks if you get near, so its obviously guarding this place. Step back, lower your weapons and calm down."

"It killed out CO! Half our squad! Our Friends!" Ivremis screamed as his claw began pressing against his pistols trigger, punching out little specks of sand sized metal.

"I know that, but a Turian does not let fear or anger control them!" Desolas said over the gun fire as calmly as he could.

This seemed to reach Ivremis and his entire squad, all of them taking a couple slow steps back and letting go of their triggers. Though none of them lowered their weapons. "Good. Now, why is your squad here in the first place. Tell me slowly, and don't make sudden moves."

Ivremis nodded. "Our squad was going to reinforce the assault on a barrier, but our CO saw this place and decided we should check it out. Then this thing killed them!" he cried as he hook his pistol at the alien, who muttered something in its language seemingly in reply as it took a few small steps backwards toward the metal gate, never leaving its stance as it did.

"Yes, she did, but we're also here attacking their planet. Just step back and-

"Spirits no!" One of Ivremis's squad suddenly called as he took a step forward and tossed a grenade at the alien. It struck its barrier and exploded on impact, seemingly doing nothing. But after a second as everyone looked on in surprise, the Aliens eyes squinted at Ivremis's squad, filling with a look that Desolas somehow knew was not anger, but simple annoyance.

In a sudden and quick movement the alien lunged forward through the air, her body spinning as one leg extended out, a stream of colors forming a strange monstrous shape behind her leg. She landed right in front of the one who threw the grenade and swung her leg right towards his body.

But stopped the barest distance from connecting, the monstrous mass of color flashing past him and into the Turian ranks, Making many of them flinch in fear.

Time seemed to slow down as the alien lower its leg and then leapt backwards to the gate, only for it to open inwards on itself a second later. Desolas expected the alien to back up and close it behind her, but instead, another alien came out of the gate. She had a very familiar looking dress on that was blue in color. She looked almost identical to the alien that Desolas had seen kill two cabals not an hour before, but had no horns and the fur on her head was the wrong color.

The new alien said something in its language to the other, causing her to step back and lower her stance, as if making room. Then much to everyone's surprise, the new alien pointed a pale finger at Desolas and motioned her whole hand toward her, almost like she was asking them to follow them.

Knowing that words would not be sufficient, Desolas pointe to himself, then the alien, then toward the building, hoping his question would be clear.

The blue haired alien nodded and turned toward the building, walking back past the gate.

"I think she wants us to follow her." Desolas said uncertainly as he took a step forward, only for Orinia to grab him by the shoulder.

"Hold on sir, this can't be right. It has to be a trap!"

Desolas shook his head and looked at the red furred alien. "that one has proven she could strike before we could react, and from the sound of it had been purely defensive. I'm getting the feeling that if these aliens wanted to, they could kill us any time."

"That does not mean you go and die on their terms!"

"I'm not planning on dying." Desolas said as he looked at the still open gate. "I get the feeling that alien wants to talk to us, and the possibility of finding more out about these aliens outweighs the possibility of finding nothing by just walking away. I'm going in there. Anyone who wants to come may, and those who don't can wait out here and will not attack unless attacked first!"

"Fine, but we're coming with you." Orinia growled while every one of Desolas's squad members nodded in agreement.

Desolas nodded and looked at Ivremis. "Are you going to follow our squad, or head back to camp?"

"I - . . . our squad is too weak to go to the front. We'll follow you for now." Ivremis said, sounding angry, but not at Desolas.

Once both squads were together they approached the gate, everyone glancing at the Alien that still stood there, her eyes trained on them like a predators. As the last Turian passed the gate she entered as well, and to everyone's worries the gates closed with a high pitched screech, seemingly on their own.

Inside the wall and surrounding the red building was a large field of grasses, perfectly trimmed down to the exact same length. This in itself was not impressive or worrisome, but the closer they got to the building itself, the stranger everything felt. It was like a great weight was pressing against them harder and harder as they got closer. Their extremities began feeling numb, it was getting slightly difficult to breathe, and Desolas could swear how could hear some sort of disturbed laughter.

Arriving at the door to the Building, the blue haired woman simply stood there in front a pair of double doors made of wood, carved with the shape of what looked like teeth or spikes all across its edges. A few second later the Guard from the gate came around the Turians and opened the left door, allowing the blue haired alien to walk in, saying something to the other as she walked in with a wave of her hand.

Desolas took a step toward the door then paused, noticing a strange shimmering field covering the door. It was barely visible due to the darkness within the building, but the field itself was faintly grey, and sparkled as if dust was floating through sunlight.

"Is is some sort of Scanner maybe?" Orinia asked, clearly worried about the field.

"Perhaps. Only one way to find out." Desolas said as he took a breath and walked through it. stepping through the field felt like he was walking through a thin layer of water, thick and dense, but not impossible to pass through. As soon as he stepped through he felt a strange burning for half a second in his throat, but it passed quickly and allowed him to take another step inside and look around.

The Foyer of the building, because that was all it could be in Desolas's eyes, was very wide in its design. A single set of stairs went straight up to a second level, but split into two separate stairs. Thick carpets lined the floor from the door to the stairway and up it, and large mas of Crystals hung above the stairs, letting off a dull red light, the only light illuminating the windowless room. the light was bad enough, but both the wooden floors, the walls, the stairs, and even the carpets and ceiling were all in differing shades of dark red, making it difficult to tell different parts of the foyer from others.

"Whoa. whoever owns this place likes red, and darkness." Orinia muttered from behind Desolas, who could only nod in agreement as his eyes tried to adapt to the strange light.

Then the door behind them shut with a slam, and the red headed woman was standing in front of it, blocking any option of escape. Looking back at the stairs Desolas found the blue haired woman standing at the bottom of them, seemingly waiting for something to happen.

As if called by the Door closing behind them, the double set of doors on the second level above them opened up, and a third alien walked in and up to the railing above the stairs. If this third alien had been the same as the first two in looks alone it would not have been so bad, but instead she was so different in looks and feel it made Desolas's claws' itch and his muscles tense unconsciously.

The new alien was female and was wearing a single piece dress a deep red in color. It had a single strap on one shoulder and had slits down both sides of the legs, allowing small bits of moon white skin to be glimpsed as she walked. She had a chest that was modest yet very noticeable from the dress's cut. Her hair was the color of a bright yellow sun, and hung down her back, with some of it tied up at one side of her head and held with a piece of cloth the same color as her dress. What was most disconcerting however was the deep red color her predatory eyes were as she looked down on them and the strange things that jut out from her back like wings? With bone like stalks the color of dry dead wood they looked unhealthy, and the rainbow of large, perfectly shaped Crystals that hung from seemingly nothing at perfect intervals of them made it look even more unsettling. The woman stood like an Asari matriarch and exuded the same kind of power, only on a scale that made Desolas feel like even the older matriarchs would whimper and run in fear from her presence. He wanted to turn and run on instinct, but his legs would not move.

The woman smiled, allowing her teeth, along with two longer, strangely pointed, teeth to be seen by every Turian below her. "So, these are our little invaders!" The woman said in perfectly understood words, shocking Desolas and Every Turian. after a few second she looked to the blue furred alien. "Did the Translation spell work Keine?"

The blue haired woman, apparently named Keine nodded. "It should have. I placed it over the doorway, so all of them should be able to understand us as long as we speak Japanese."

"Excellent!" The Blonde said as she placed a hand on the railing and leaned forward slightly, allowing some of her moderate cleavage to be accented as she did. "So, can you understand me, Alien?" She asked, putting what Desolas could only call hate into the last word. She clearly was not happy with them.

"We can." Desolas said as he took a step forward. " I did not think that you had heard enough of our language to devise a translation for our language however."

"Didn't need one!" The woman said with a wave of her hand. "Keine was nice enough to make a simple translation spell and place it over the door. Until it wears off in about a day, all of you can understand Japanese, and we can understand your alien language."

"A spell, you mean like . . . magic?" Orinia asked, surprised by her own question.

"Yes."

"You seriously think we'll believe such a stupid idea? Ivremis said as he stepped forward angrily, glaring up at the woman.

The blonde woman looked at Ivremis and her eyes narrowed. "This is my home, you will not deny what we know as truth with such a rude tongue, or I get to make an example of you!"

"Ivremis, stop talking." Desolas hissed.

"Will you now? You savages just keep holding back and killing our people with-" Ivremis was in the middle of saying as he stepped forward and pointed a claw at the alien in anger, until his entire body exploded in a shower of blue blood.

Desolas looked rom where Ivremis had been standing and then looked up at the Blonde woman, noticing she was now holding her closed hand right to where Ivremis had been. The woman smiled cruelly as Desolas noticed Ivremis's blood seemingly disappearing into the walls and floor where it had splattered. "That was a simple example. I invited you into my home without violence or force, and this is what will happen if you disrespect that!"

Desolas swallowed hard and then noticed that he had unconsciously taken a step back, as had everyone else. "I understand, and I apologize for our allies outburst. The stress of combat had gotten to him, I think."

"There's no need to apologize, he is dead after all!" She said with a grin as she began walking the length of the rail towards one of the stairways. "I am Flandre Scarlet, Known as the Scarlet sister and sometimes as the Diabolic Wave! My guard and long-time friend behind you is Hong Meiling, the dragon gate. As for Keine, you've already met her before." Flandre said with a giggle that did not quite match her regal and mature looks.

"We've met her once." Desolas corrected as he looked at Keine nervously, only to see her dress change from blue to green along with her hair, as Horns sprouted from hr head.

"I am Keine Kamishirasawa, known to some as the History eating half beast." Keine said with a slight bow. "I apologize for my rather, rude entrance and exit before, but the safety of one of my students comes before any attempt at communication."

"You were the one who killed those cabals!" Desolas exclaimed in surprise, being the first able to speak. The idea someone could suddenly grow horns, change the color of their hair and clothing seemed ridiculous, but it had just happened before them!

"I am." Keine confirmed again.

"Now then, we have introduced ourselves, so why don't you introduce yourself, alien?" Flandre asked as she stopped at the top of the stairs, her eyes cleanly locked on Desolas.

Nodding uncertainly Desolas took a step forward. "Captain Desolas Arterius, of the Turian Hierarchy."

Flandre smiled. "Do you know why you are here?"

"Yes." Deolas said instantly, eliciting a raised Eyebrow from Flandre. "The Hierarchy is here in response to a ship attempting to-"

"I did not mean you as in your species, I meant you personally." Flandre interrupted. "You, here in my home. Do you know why?"

Desolas stood perfectly still as a couple Turians shifted nervously, the strange pressure suddenly weighting them down. "You, wanted to speak with us?" Desolas asked carefully.

Flandre smiled. "Partly. While I'm interested in you aliens, I'm more interested in why you are interested in him, Mamizou."

"Oh, and here I thought you hadn't known I was here. What tipped you off?" Suddenly came a new female voice, making every Turian look around for its owner.

"I caught a glimpse of you when I was retrieving kaiden." Keine said with a sigh, looking very tired for some reason. " just come out already please. With clothes on, please."

"Ah, what the, that creature!" Orinia suddenly called out as the fuzzy creature they had seen in the forest dashed between their legs and over to the stairs, its tail bobbing to side to side as it ran. As it stopped just shy of the stairway it stood up on its hind legs, and its form began to change. Its body grew tall, its fur changing into cloth, and in a matter of seconds another alien was standing before them. Her clothing looked far more casual and rural that any of the other women's, and she had little black ears on the top of her head with her tail stuck out from under her dress. On a sash of cloth that was wrapped around her waist was a strange pipe of some sort and a bottle with a strange marking on it. What truly surprised everyone however was when she crossed one leg over the other and sat back on her tail, seeming floating in midair, allowing everyone to notice her sandals, with nearly foot thick bottoms that looked to be made of solid metal. "A pleasure to finally make your acquaintances. I am Mamizou Futatsuiwa, the barely noticed Youkai!"

No one said or reacted in any way, causing Mamizou to laugh to herself. "I think I broke them."

"With an entrance like that I can see why," Flandre said with a smile as she looked at Desolas. " Arterius, or was it Desolas? Which is your personal name?"

"D-Desolas." He answered as he shook of some of the impossibility of what he had just seen.

Flandre nodded. "Let's talk, but not here. I have refreshments waiting on the balcony for us, so please follow. Your people can follow Meiling out to the courtyard. Don't worry, as long as they don't try anything Meiling won't have to play with them."

"Desolas!" Orinia growled in worry.

"I know." Desolas said as he looked at Flandre. "This balcony, is it visible from the courtyard?"

"It is right above the courtyard." Meiling answered from behind them as she opened the door, no strange screen covering the doorway.

"You have your answer. Come this way Desolas. Don't keep me waiting or I may have to play with you next!" Flandre said with a grin that almost seemed too wide for her face. it was far more disturbing that Desolas figured it would be.

"Do as they ask. I'll be fine." Deolas said as he began walking forward and followed Keine and Mamizou up the stairs to the second level and down a hall. It was just like the foyer had been, and gave him a small moment to think about what had just happened.

Shapeshifting, spontaneous complete destruction, translation without a machine. They had called it magic, and had been angry when it had been scoffed at. Was it really magic? Their names made no sense to Desolas, and were not similar to any council culture so he couldn't take meaning from them. The strange titles they introduced themselves with intrigued and worried him, but not nearly as much as how similar, yet different from Asari they were. All four of these aliens were female and had a similar basic design to their form, yet each had major differences from the other that had to be more than just genetic variation. He wants sure how to explain it himself, but was sure the Salarians would be demanding to learn everything they could if they had a say in the matter.

That brought Desolas's thoughts back to their capabilities. Two of them apparently capable of killing Turians in physical combat without weapons, one able to shapeshift, and another seemingly able to kill simply by closing her fist in someone's direction. More impossibility, yet he had witnessed it, and could not disregard it so easily. Just the shapeshifting two of them showed off was beyond anything in council space, and could revolutionize intelligence gathering if it was a transferable capability, and not an inherent or genetic one.

"We're here." Keine said, pulling Desolas out of his thoughts just as they stopped at a large door and opened it. The change of light made it difficult to see initially, but after a moment Desolas saw a good sized Balcony complete with a table and four chairs around it. From the balcony he could see a good portion of the city, and the sun was over the building itself, covering only the railing of the balcony in light.

Flandre walked up to the table and sat down on the chair the closest to the house, and Keine and Mamizou sat to either side of her, leaving Desolas the chair at the railing. As he sat down he noticed the rest of his squad down on the grass were a number of tables and chairs were spaced around. It seems they hadn't lied to him.

"So, why follow these aliens around the city Mamizou?" Flandre asked immediately as she picked up some kind of dish and began pouring a pale green liquid out of it into four cups that Keine then placed in front of each of them.

Mamizou smiled and looked at Desolas "I've been following them around for a while, and now know that this alien race is very military and structured. Killing their commanders likely will not break them easily. I did however note that you seem rather against this whole engagement." she said as she looked at Desolas.

Desolas only nodded in reply.

"Why is that, hmm?" Flandre asked with a smile, licking some of the liquid off her lips.

Desolas swallowed uncomfortablly. "I don't think you probably know, but the first contact of our groups was . . ."

"A one side massacre where a ship of your fleet destroyed an unarmed scouting ship in an unprovoked attack." Keine said suddenly as he sipped her tea and placed it down. "Yes, we are well aware of the first scenario."

Desoloas looked at Keine in surprise. "So the ship did get a message out? Cathris had been sure no message had been sent from how quickly he destroyed the ship."

"They didn't." Keine said with a sigh. "The ship and her crew were destroyed. A half day later her crew informed our leadership of the event and they began preparing from that

Desolas looked at Keine with what could only be confusion, causing Flandre to smile. "Here, let me show you." Flandre said as she snapped her finger, and a moment later a fairy maid came onto the balcony with a bow, surprising Desolas with the combination of her looks, and demure attitude.

"Yes lady Flandre?"

"I need to kill you for a bit, is that alright Mei?"

The maid, apparently named Mei, looked surprised and nodded slowly. "Not my eye I hope?"

"No, just regular killing, to prove you can't die."

"Very well. Am I to assume you wish me to return here when I revive to prove this?"

Flandre smiled as she opened he palm, a strange glowing red orb appearing above it that seemed to radiate heat and energy. "Please do." Flandre said as she tossed the ball of energy at the maid. When it contacted her, both the ball and the maid, exploded in a blast of light and energy, leaving oly little floating lights that dissipated completely in a matter of seconds.

As Flandre looked back at Desolas she saw his, mandibles, Spread wide in horror. "Y-you killed your own employee!?" Desolas finally said in fear.

"Relax she's a fairy, she'll be back in a few minutes, you'll see!"

Desola looked at Flandre in shock. She was so nonchalant about it. And what did she mean by she be back?

"You noticed her wings yes?" Mamizou suddenly spoke up. "The same kind as those you saw in the forest had, right?"

Desolas nodded. "Yes, is that some sort of subspecies of your race then?"

"Not precisely," Keine said calmly as he leaned back in her chair. "Fairy's are a Race of their own, more akin to elementals that humans, Lunarians or Youkai. They are joined to the land, and are one of the truly immortal beings that we know of. Unless the land they spring from is destroyed, they will not die, and simply resurrect after a time."

"You expect me to believe that people can simply come back from the dead good as new?" Desolas asked with a look the women did not quit understand. Alien facial structure was not something they were familiar with, but they figure it was probably annoyance or scorn at thinking he was being blatantly lied to.

"Yes actually," Flandre said with a smile as the door to the buildigns insides opened, and the exact same fairy form before walked onto the balcony holding a tray of biscuits and sweet that the placed on the table, the door closing behind her.

"Thank you for limiting your power Lady Flandre. There is much to do and I did not wish to fall behind."

Desolas looked at the maid in horror and impossible surprise. She was the exact same person. he wasn't going to say that all of this species looked the same, as even by Turian standards they had radical difference, horns, wings, body shape, but he was sure it was the same person he had seen get blown into light particles. "H-how?" He finally said.

"Fairy's like myself are joined to the land. When we are 'killed' we resurrect in the place we are connected to. I am connected to a large pond at the back of the manor, and as Lady Flandre kept the power in her attack relatively low, I was able to resurrect almost immediately." Mei explained with a bow as she looked to Flandre. "Is there anything else you need Lady Flandre?"

"No, that is all. Thank you Mei, I apologize for pulling you from your duties."

"There is no need to apologize."

Keine waited until Mei left before looking back at Desolas. "Scouting and explorations ships are crewed entirely by fairy's. So if they encounter technical troubles, have accidents, or encounter overly violent aliens, there is only the loss of material from the ship, not a loss of life.

Desolas paled as he came to a sudden realization. "Then, the attack that destroyed the Hunters pride wasn't a ship sent to look for your own lost ship. It was sent as a counterstrike?"

"In a sense. In truth it was sent to scout out your Ships weapons technology and get us data." Keine calmly explained. "That mission was led by one person, the only Fairy Operative of the Alliance."

Desolas looked at them and then at the table, looking at the glass of green liquid. It was made of fine material, very thin, and looked like it would shatter at the merest touch. Compared to the buildings of the city around them, made of stone wood and steel, it seemed unlikely the cups had been manufactured here. "And to think the Hierarchy thought this was your home world."

"Nope!" Mamizou said with a smile. "Shanxi is only a four year old colony. Its small considering it only has one major city."

"Four-" Desolas stopped mid-word and hung his head down as he let out a long sigh. Then another thought came to him, making him swallow in worry. "If this colony is so young, why are there not more forces protecting it? Do you not fear Pirates or invasion like this one?"

Flandre grinned mischievously as she pointed up, and when Desolas did as she directed he saw a beam of light cross the sky far above, small blue flashes accompanying it. "Our leadership knew this planet would be the first one you encounter, so plans had been made. Our forces here were only meant to hold you back, until our reinforcements arrived and cut off your forces, by decimating your fleet above us!"

Desolas continued to stare upwards before he tapped his Omnitool, getting a no signal notice when he tried to contact the fleet. " by the spirits!"

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Codex –

 **Vampire** – A Youkai species derived from east European folklore, Vampires are physically extremely powerful but seta apart from other species by historically requiring only blood to live, not solid flesh or foods. Vampires have long pointe canine that act like messy syringes, piercing and allowing them to suck and lap up the blood from other living beings. Someone completely drained of blood by a vampire becomes a ghoul, a mindless servant to the vampire in question, unless the vampire then siphons some of their own blood back into the person, Turing them into a vampire themselves. Vampires are historically weak to sunlight, but can be born with a resistance to its detrimental effects, and in rare case immunity.

A sparse number of Vampires exist in the alliance, and Medical gains in the past have made it so that their bodies can perfectly catalyze regular food. They still require small amounts of blood occasionally or they risk going into a withdrawal like state, but most curb this by having the blood added to a drink or simply having small amounts every few weeks. Vampires receive blood from the government, acquired from blood banks to help make sure they do not become dangerous to regular citizens.

Vampires are recognizable most often by their red eyes, pointed canines, weakness to sunlight and bat like wings, and are prohibited from turning others into vampires unless it is to save someone's life.

 **Tanuki** – The Tanuki, sometimes called a Racoon dog, is an East Oriental Youkai related to foxes and dogs, and known for its ability to shapeshift and trick others. Tanuki can freely shapeshift their entire body, taking the form of the racoon dog animal, a human and even forms halfway between. All Tanuki have a 'natural' human and Tanuki form that they will shapeshift into automatically if they do not attempt to change how they look. Most however prefer their default half way between form.

Tanuki are a fun loving race in general, and while capable of shapeshifting to nearly any humanoid form, have some difficulty holding forms of other people for extended periods of time. They have a natural skill for magic that can manipulate sensory input, and can make excellent guides and friends as they are very personable and friendly.

 **Translation spells** – Omni magic that affects a person's senses in addition to their mind to a small amount, Translation spells are important for the alliance due to the large number of individual languages and many dialects that exist between its peoples. Translation spells makes a person able to understand the language the spell chooses as a language they understand, and in some cases can be altered to even make a person speak a separate language. Most times it just changes what is heard however, as this is far simpler to cast.

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Operative Bio – Mamizou

Name: Mamizou Futatsuiwa

Race: Youkai - Tanuki

Gender: Female

Age: Unknown – appears early to mid-twenties.

Power rank: C

Class: 2

Class Specifics: works best with others she knows, or groups of others who can shapeshift. is excellent at infiltrations as long as this is the case. Is too willing to help others however and if groups are on a mission together will often be tempted to help them before the mission.

Powers: shapeshifting of self and clothing, objects on person. Can shapeshift other people and objects for a limited time.

Capabilities/skills: Shapeshifting, imitation. Stealth. She is also skilled at making friends and calming arguments, making her a good mediator as she focuses on both sides of an argument.

Bio: Having lived among humans outside of Gensokyo before the fall of the border, Mamizou took the change well and helped many others deal with it as well. While she does not like Yukari, and completely distrusts her subordinate, she decided to become an operative to continue to help others and was directly responsible for dealing with numerous small pirate bands in the early alliance expansion by sneaking in and sabotaging their defences and opening doors for allies.

She holds no set job aside from her position as an operative, instead electing to travel and wander as she wills it, often visiting old friends. Through her friend Nue she met and became acquainted with Flandre scarlet.

Operative Bio – Flandre

Name: Flandre Scarlet.

Race: Youaki - Vampire

Gender: Female

Age: 748 – looks mid-twenties

Power rank: S

Class: 3

Class Specifics: While capable of fighting alongside others, few can keep up with Flandre's raw speed and ferocity. She no longer has a problem with accidentally killing allies in the field, but prefers they not be close enough for that to be an issue.

Powers: Capability to destroy anything or one, by crushing its 'eye'

Capabilities/skills: As a vampire she can fly, regenerate and has extremely high speed, stamina and strength equal to many high power Youkai. Can also shift the shape of her wings, and form the mythical weapon of chaos, Laevateinn from her power of destruction. Is one of the few people capable of destroying ships in orbit from the ground.

Bio: Historically psychotic, insane and uncontrollable due to her sisters fearing her power far more than she should have, the border breaking was a great thing for Flandre, as it meant she could no longer be confined, and thus had to learn to both control her power, and become a better person. With the help from numerous friends and family (Patchouli knowledge, Hong Meiling, Keine Kamishirawasa, Nue Houjou, Koishi komeji, Marisa Kirisame.) she was able to learn to control her powers more efficiently, and was able to come to understand much about the world she did not previously know. along with this, her body began strangely maturing as her knoledge and mentality did, and she became an elegant, if sadistic lady that surpassed her sisters, looks and beauty.

While far more mature in looks and intelligence, she still has some sadistic quirks and tendencies, but trusts those she knows and now understands the limits of what she can do.


	10. CH10 - The Spark of Creation

**authors note : I apologize for the delay for this chapter, it was getting proofed, and will be from this point on, so hopefully far less silly grammar mishaps. Also, I've decided a minor thing related to the poll, the touhou char to be shepard, if that wins, (looking unlikely right now) will either be Rumia or Utsuho and that info has been added to the poll. So if you haven't thrown in your opinion on it, please do. It's very interesting how it's shaping up.**

 **Now then, you've been waiting for the curb stomping, so what better way to start it than with a giant ass laser!**

Patchouli Knowledge walked down a passageway of her ship, the AOS Philosophe, with a glint in her eyes, strength in her step and a small ever so slight smirk on her lips. In the past she would not have been able to walk so briskly, but modern Lunarian medicine was an amazing thing indeed.

As she walked down the hall she considered what had occurred over the past century, and it made her smirk, causing a mage in the hallways to shy away from her in fear. It was a natural reaction. She was wearing a very dark purple military uniform, complete with a jacket and long skirt. That, combined with the fact that she was one of the four most powerful magicians in the Alliance, and the fact that it was well known that she did not allow incompetence in her student body, made many fear meeting her when they were not supposed to.

She didn't mind honestly though, it allowed her to keep to herself and keep her mind occupied on other things. Like decimating an alien fleet in the biggest show of magical might in over a century!

The thought made her smile again as she arrived at her destination, tapped a couple of keys on the pad beside the door, and walked in as it slipped open. The room she came into was a small and circular with a single large holocomm system sitting in its centre. Walking to the holocomm's opposite side she tapped a single key, and waited for a couple of seconds.

As if on cue the holograms of her fellow magicians appeared one by one as they made it to their own holocomm systems.

First to appear was Alice Margatroid. Wearing a uniform the same design as Patchouli's own, the only difference between them was hers was white with blue trim. Two Dolls, Shanghai and Hourai respectively, hovered over each shoulder, both of them eyeing their surroundings and expressing themselves as they seemed to silently communicate between each other. Alice stood stoically, between them showing no emotion, until she cracked a small smile as she looked to Patchouli and nodded, clearly happy that she was one of the first to their meeting.

The next to appear was Byakuren Hijiri, wearing the same dress and coat she had worn since she had awoken back in Gensokyo before the border fell. She wore a pleasant expression that was tinted with something else. After a few seconds of their last member not appearing she let out a sigh. "It appears Miss Kirisame is late."

Patchouli let out a sigh. "Yes, she informed me before we left New Eden that she would be spending most of the Slip looking over her main gun."

Hearing this, Byakuren's expression went from pleasant to worry and sadness. "She is planning on using it, isn't she?"

"Why would she have it made if she wasn't going to use it?" Alice said as she leaned backwards, likely on a chair just out of sight of the holocomm, making it look like she was leaning on air.

"But that weapon is-," Byakuren paused as she tried to find the word. "It's morally wrong. It is far too powerful to use on other sentient creatures!"

"Byakuren, we've already agreed upon these aliens destruction, and we all know there is no way any of us are convincing Marisa to not fire that weapon. It will speed up the destruction of their fleet immeasurably!" Patchouli explained with a calm and collected tone, clearly not caring how the alien fleet was destroyed.

"But it is far too powerful! It was able to destroy a small moon at only-"

"Ah, sorry about being late, had to calibrate one last MagTech Reactor before priming the System. It should be charged by the time we arrive, if not soon after." Marisa Kirisame said as she appeared around the holocomm. Marisa, the youngest of them, and arguably the most powerful in direct firepower looked very different than the other three.

As the only one who had been human during the breaking of the border, she had grown into a beautiful young woman, one who was also exceedingly intelligent and dangerous. She stood taller than Alice, with her long blonde hair done into thick braids. She wore black leather pants and an open black leather short sleeved jacket over a simple white shirt. What made her outfit more surprising was the fact that there were large sections of glowing metal down the sides of her jacket and on her belt. On her lower arms she wore fingerless gloves that had large bracers over them, large grey metal octagons sitting just behind the wrists, their centres sparking with yellow and green energy every few seconds. She no longer wore a hat, but to anyone who had known her in the past, there was no mistaking her for anyone else.

Marisa Kirisame, once known as the ordinary magician, now known as the Spark Mage.

"So, what did I miss?" Marisa asked with a grinning smile after a few seconds of silence, seemingly not noticing that Byakuren was staring at her.

"We had just begun, and Byakuren was trying to get us to convince you to not fire your main gun." Alice simply explained, making Byakuren look at her in surprise and annoyance.

Marisa looked to Byakuren and laughed. "Hell, no! I've only fire it once and that was at ten percent power! No way am I missing out on a chance to fire it at full power!"

"Can you really allow yourself to condone thousands of other sentient beings to death just to use it?" Byakuren sternly asked.

Patchouli and Alice shook their heads as Marisa grinned and raised a hand upwards. As she clenched her hand closed, the octagon on her bracer pulled out of it and gravitated in front of her fist, allowing her to open and grab it in her hand. Its core then began glowing and sparking fiercely as yellow and green sparks of energy arced from it to her bracer and from her bracer to the metal on her jacket. "I'm fine with it. Exterminating youkai, criminals, or aliens, it doesn't matter to me! It's all the same!"

"Enough!" Alice finally said, growing tired of the bickering between Marisa and Byakuren. Marisa cared for power to meet her goals, while Byakuren cared more for making peace and alliances. Their ideals were just too different from one another, and they had never truly gotten along well. "The fleet is going to arrive in a couple of moments, so let's go over the plan one last time to make sure there are no mistakes."

"Of course." Byakuren said with a sigh as she shook her head and looked away from Marisa, seemingly refusing to look in her direction.

Patchouli stepped forward and tapped her console; bringing up an image of Shanxi. "Then to begin, Shanxi's single continent means the Alien fleet is likely to be positioned immediately over it to best support their troops. As such, our boundary slip should put us out here." Patchouli pointed to the space to one side of the planet. "Any fire from our ships will not reach the planet from this angle, allowing us to attack with impunity."

Alicen nodded. "I remember this. You and Marisa's ships will lead the Mage fleet itself into battle, while my own ship, the Wonderland, shall release all of our squadrons to harass enemy ships, and to provide planeside air support to the ground forces, which will be protected by the White Lotus."

Byakuren nodded. "Yes, my ship shall protect the ground forces on their descent to the planet."

"That's all well and good, but where's Tenshi? Wasn't she supposed to be part of this meeting as well?" Marisa asked, scoffing at Byakurens role as she spoke.

"I'm here." Tenshi said as she walked beside Byakuren. Tenshi Hinnanai wore a uniform very similar to Alice and Patchouli's, but instead it was black with a very fine rainbow edging and had a short skirt. She wore knee high boots, and on her belt hung the handle of a blade. Her blue hair hung loosely behind her, and her red eyes looked on with a stoney seriousness.

Historically arrogant and selfish, being chosen as the Celestials primary military general to the Alliance had tempered her to a degree many thought impossible. After years of holding such a position and continuing to, she had become very serious and focused. Hints of her old self still appeared from time to time, showing that she was still herself, but whenever business was the focus, she rarely allowed her arrogance to show.

"What is your plan for the ground forces then, may I ask." Patchouli said her words clearly not a question with a choice to it.

Tenshi ignored Patchouli's tone and tapped the console, changing the hologram of Shanxi, to an image of its capitol, Xi'an. "A dropship from the White Lotus will be dropping me and the Red Eyes into Xi'an by the spaceport platform. The cruisers carrying the BladeBreakers and Earthrazer forces will be landing there as well. The cruiser carrying the fourth and fifth divisions will be landing between the third defensive line and the capitol building that is operating as the command centre. Our forces will land via airdrop, and the cruisers themselves will provide air and ground support until all forces are landed. Then my forces will push forward, pushing the aliens out of the city, before trapping them in their own camp. Aliens that surrender will live, those that continue to fight even when entrapped will be executed and have no mercy shown to them."

Patchouli nodded in agreement as she glanced down at Tenshi's waist, or more accurately the sword handle on it. "Are you planning on manipulating anything?"

Tenshi nodded. " Yes, if my forces require the support, or the Alines forces attempt to stall us I will manipulate the weather as the situation requires it. this will be a complete victory for us!"

"As long as nothing goes wrong, of course and-" Alice stopped and looked behind her, nodding a second later. "I've been informed we are about to leave Slip space."

"Then we'll end this here." Patchouli said with a smile. "Marisa, Alice, I will reconnect contact with your ships once we are out to coordinate fire. Let's begin this mission!"

Byakuren nodded, she and Tenshi disappearing from the holocomm, followed by Alice, then Marisa who was grinning like a psychopath. Patchouli tapped a key on her console and turned to the wall, just as it began lifting, revealing the entirety of the bridge of her ship. It was a large half circle with different levels to it, and the screens lining every wall showed only a black void with wisps of purple nothingness that appeared and disappeared at random. A moment later the void was replaced by the darkness of space, accented by stars in the distance, Shanxi ahead of them, and an Alien fleet above it like birds of prey hovering over their prey.

"So, you want to give the order? The Twilight gun is still charging." Marisa said as her hologram appeared just behind Patchouli, with Alice's appearing a second later, silently watching.

"Yes, just be sure to tell me before you fire it, otherwise Alice's fighters could get caught in the crossfire."

"Will do. I'll have my people open fire when you give the order until the twilight guns ready. Then I'll change positions and annihilate their remaining forces!"

Patchouli grinned and pointed her arm toward the Alien Fleet. "Philosophe to all combat ships . . . . Fire at will!"

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General Tathid Arcrus glared at the screen before him with disdain. His forces, the might of the hierarchy, had pushed through this alien race's first line of defence but now were stuck against their second line on nearly every front. Some forces had broken past this second line, but quickly got stuck just behind those same points, as long range fire supposedly seared down the street at them.

Reports were coming in that made it very clear to Arcrus that the hierarchy had become weak in its training. Soldiers panicked from simple light effects, and he was getting ridiculous reports of the aliens having weaponry leagues above their own technology level.

Little tiny aliens coming back to life and harassing his forces by the forest was another report that he was getting frequently as well. It made him sure that his people had forgotten to look for underground tunnels, as that was clearly what was going on. No creature could come back to life after they had been killed, such a thing was impossible.

As impossible as these aliens being able to defeat the hierarchy, such things simply did not happen.

"Sir, we've gotten a report that a third of our Cabals have been confirmed killed in action. Along with them, a total twenty three percent of our forces have been annihilated, primarily by the alien defensive lines."

Arcrus turned to the Turian who spoke up and growled. "How much of an effect are our air forces and artillery having on the alien defensive lines?"

The Turian took a nervous step back. "Um, it depends, sir. A couple lines were broken, but the aliens have hidden AA emplacements somewhere behind their lines, and the sizes of many of their buildings are making it difficult to accurately strike their barriers with our artillery. Any buildings we hit instead are almost always becoming a problem for our own troops as well as they crumble across our intended paths."

"Hmmm, what I wouldn't give to bomb those locations from orbit."

"B-but sir, it's a garden world and-"

"I'm merely jesting." Arcrus said with a shake of his head. "What is the situation for our supply lines down there?"

"Not good sir. The city's design makes it difficult to keep our forward forces supplied. With evening falling on the planet soon, many of our forces are pulling back to rest and resupply, but the traps in alleyways and on roads make safe avenues of supply long and difficult."

"I see. You said that we've taken twenty three percent casualties. What about wounded?"

"Thirty seven percent sir. The alien weapons seem to cut through our barriers and strike people directly. The main camp on the planet is filling with wounded faster than they can be helped. Their weapons seem to cauterize wounds as well, making medical work long and painful.

Arcrus gazed at the screen before him and let out an annoyed sigh. He knew that these aliens would not hold against the hierarchy, but they had thus far held against his forces better than expected. "Leave me; I need to make a call."

"Of course, sir."

Arcrus waited until the officer left, and then reached a claw to his communication panel, his claw hesitating over the button for a second.

He needed more forces to deal with these aliens, he knew this. His son had been killed by these aliens, as had the Primarch's daughter, he also knew this, and it hurt to remember. He wanted revenge, he wanted closure! He wanted the ones responsible for his loss to suffer like he had! He was also killing them as well though, how many children were his orders leaving without parents?

The reports he received were ridiculous, borderline impossible telling of aliens that looked like pale Asari, able to fight off trained Turian forces without losses. In a war like this normally the council would be informed of it. But the Primarch wanted revenge as well, and had forbid him from informing the council of any of this.

The more Arcrus thought about it, the more he felt a lump form in his body, the more the weight of all the lives he lost and took began to weigh on him.

The Primarch was making this personal, but he was a Turian, and would not let his own personal feelings inhibit his actions or understanding of the situation. He needed more forces to complete his orders, so he would ask for more.

As his claw ever so lightly touched the button alarms began blaring all across the bridge, making his claw twitch back on reflex. "What is happening? Status report!" Arcrus called out, demanding answers from his crew.

"A, a fleet just appeared on sensors sir."

"From where? The planet?" Arcrus asked carefully.

"No sir, it just appeared. The VI's are sure there was nothing there, and then the next moment a fleet was there!"

"Bring it up on screen, let's see this, fleet." Arcrus said with a chuckle. If the aliens had ships stashed elsewhere, why show them now? They must be getting desperate!

A few second later a new screen appeared in front of Arcrus, and he immediately began wondering if he had spoken to soon.

Across the blackness of space sat dozens upon dozens of ships. Most were blocky in their shapes and did not look imposing in anything but their numbers. A handful of larger, yet still blocky ships appeared to be held back from the front of the group, but they were not what had his attention.

In the centre of the alien fleet, four ships stood out from the rest, their size many times larger than those around them, and their designs drastically different.

The first ship was shaped like some sort of spear with very shallow wings coming off of it. Dark blue in color, Arcrus could not see any weapon systems upon it, but still felt it was likely dangerous.

The second ship was long and flat in its general shape, and appeared to be hanging back with the larger blocky ships. It was a strange mix of colors that Arcrus found pointless; though the smooth curvature of the ship reminded him of Asari design philosophy.

The third ship was by far the widest and very large. With two wings and entire sections overtop of them, it held what Arcrus could only see as a large main gun to the left side of its centre. Beside this gun, taking up the right side of its centre, were a number of large apparently crystalline structures of varying colors. The entire ship was dark purple in its coloring, but was not the most dangerous looking.

The last ship made Arcrus lose his breath momentarily. It was an insanely long and decently wide octagonal tube in looks. Its front had a massive golden shape over it, covered in lines and shapes, with a central hole that glowed a malevolent yellow-green in color. Behind the golden front, the rest of it appeared perfectly black, though strange white lines ran the length of the ship on each edge. the entire ship looked like a giant gun barrel!

Glancing at the information acquired from the scans, Arcrus had to blink and look again to make sure he wasn't misreading it. The numerous ships all were around 700 meters in length each. The larger versions of them were 850 meters in length!

The four battleships, their size could make them nothing else, were far more startling. The spear like ship was nearly 1,950 meters long, the flat one nearly 1,750 meters long. The massively wide ship was 2,400 meters long and 1,900 meters wide according to the scans and the one that somehow looked like a long octagon, while only 600 meters wide, and was 3,100 meters long!

These four ships were larger than any capitol ship in the hierarchy, and nearly as large as the Destiny Ascension! Just the thought of his fleet engaging them in combat felt suicidal. It was far smarter to flee and buy time while a request for reinforcements was sent to the hierarchy!

"Sir, the long alien ship appears to be releasing strike craft!" An officer suddenly exclaimed, the scan showing hundreds of craft leaving the spear shaped ship and heading right for their fleet.

"Spirits, all hands to battle stations!" Arcrus roared as he gazed at the ships just in time to witness them begin firing a barrage of shots of every color at them. Every ship seemed to be firing from every weapon, making it clear most of them did not have a main gun like hierarchy ships did. They had the advantage in firepower if their opponents were using turreted railguns! As soon as their first barrage hit them they would hit back with their own, and cripple dozens of ships with their powerful and accurate blows!

"Brace for impact and return fire!" Arcrus yelled smugly, until the alien barrage struck them, and continued to strike them without end. Colored bolts, beams and balls soared through the darkness of space, lighting it up like a forest aflame with color. Each shot that struck a ship blasted apart on contact, most ignoring the shielding in their way. Arcus's own ship shook as shot after shot, wave after wave of fire collided with her hull, making alarms blare incessantly.

"Sir, scanner indicates enemy strike craft approaching!" An officer yelled as the ship continued to shake, some walls sparking from the stress, their power conduits unable to take the sustained stress.

"Spirits these aliens don't stop! How can they fire continuously for so long without overheating?" Arcrus wondered aloud as he shook his head and looked to the officer that had spoken. "From what direction?"

"Right in front of us! Their weaving through their ally's fire!" The officer roared as the ship shook again, someone calling out something about one deck or another having a breach.

"That's impossible!" Arcrus growled as he looked at his screen. The alien fleet's fire was so substantial he could not even see their ships through it. Nothing could move through so much fire and not be struck, it was completely impossible! "Make sure the guardians are up! Don't let those strike craft near any ship!"

"Too late!" Another officer screamed as a sudden barrage of green energy appeared right before them and crashed into the ship with such force that Arcrus could hear plating shear and decks exploding as he fell to the ground, all the lights of the ship going out at once.

All Arcrus could hear was a ringing as he reached up and grabbed onto the side of his chair, his claws tingling with pain alongside the rest of his body. Climbing up he managed to open his eyes, and found the bridge of his ship in ruins. The emergency lights were on, filling the bridge with light that blended with the fires that seeped out from walls and the ceiling. The fire suppression systems were going, filling the bridge with a dusty haze to mitigate the flames, and a couple of the officers that were on the ground had pools of blue blood around them as they lie in complete stillness. As he fully stood up he found his screen was miraculously still operational, and that it showed the void between his fleet and the aliens was empty. They had stopped firing!

"R-report!" Arcrus managed to say as he tried to manipulate his screen, realizing that it was showing in real time, but was otherwise unresponsive.

"Ugh, um. The ship is, unresponsive. Emergency systems online. Sensors still active. Engine offline, mass effect drive is offline, weapons offline. Our hull integrity is at forty percent, and we have numerous decks leaking atmosphere and many others with fires." an officer said as he pulled himself back to his seat.

Others in the bridge tried to move back to their posts, but nearly everyone seemed injured in some way.

"What about the rest of our fleet?"

"Um. Looks like we're down to seventy three percent strength, but every ship is reporting damage similar to our own on sensors."

"Spirits, what a barrage. Why did they stop? Do we know?" Arcrus asked as he tried to walk over to the officer, only to find his one leg was bleeding, and stung like mad as soon as he tried to walk on it.

"No sir, we, hang on. One ship is missing!"

"Which one?"

"The octagon battleship, it's not . . . . No wait what! It's to our port side! Scanners report massive energy spikes from it!"

"What!" xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Headmaster, we've dropped out of our short range boundary slip. We are now on the Alien fleet's port side!" A magician called up from their position on a computer in the bridge of Marisa's ship, the Final Spark. Its bridge was what the alliance called a star trek style bridge, a completely circular bridge where the captain sat in the exact centre, surrounded by their subordinates.

Marisa grinned as she looked out the window at the alien fleet, perfectly in line with the darkness of space, Shanxi further to the side, and completely out of her ships direct firing line. She glanced down at a physical control panel on her right and smiled even wider. It showed a diagram of eight octagons, with lines going up to a single one, each octagon with a bar beside it that was completely filled. It showed her the power situation of her ship, and it made her grin.

The Final Spark was designed around one core principle, that of a giant cannon first, and an academy second. The ship was powered by eight separate MAGTECH reactors that were used in tandem with each other. Under normal operation, each only had a bare nine percent power draw, and during a slip that went up to fifteen each. Currently each reactor was releasing its full one hundred percent of its power, almost all of it being focused on one place, the main gun that took up the entire front of the ship and the core of it all the way to the back. "All hands, prepare for Twilight Gun firing sequence. Prepare to brace!" Marisa said happily as others in the bridge began tying themselves into their chairs with thick leather harnesses.

"Are you sure about this, Marisa?" Patchouli's hologram asked as it popped up, having disappeared when Marisa ordered her ship to use one of its secondary Boundary drives to do a short range jump around the alien fleet. Her ship was fitted with three secondary boundary drives, so using one right at the start of a battle meant little to her if it got her in a good position.

"Yep!" Marisa responded as she flicked a switch and watched as two large consoles lifted out of the floor, each holding an inset hole, perfect for a hand held Hakkero each.

"You only fired the gun once, and that was at ten percent power. It took nearly seventy percent of a small moons mass out of it. Are you sure you want to fire it at 100 percent so soon? You might fry your own systems."

"Relax, Patchy!" Marisa said as she clenched her hands, causing the Hakkero on each bracer to pop out and move into her open and awaiting hands. She then placed each Hakkero into the slots on each console. "Part of the base technology for a MAGTECH reactor is the Hakkero, and I've made sure to have everything designed perfectly. Any excess power is vented out of the gun, and I've set its critical distance for a quarter of a million kilometers. There's no chance of hitting anything I'm not supposed to!"

"And if you are wrong?" Patchouli asked. She wasn't being negative, just confirming all the information, something she did quite often and for good reason.

Marisa grinned, her eyes glinting in the half light of her bridge. "I've worked too hard at this to be wrong!"

"Very well." Patchouli said with a nod as her hologram disappeared.

"Alright, all crew. Brace for Firing!" Marisa called out as she pressed down on each Hakkero, priming the Twilight gun, a humming forming in the bridge that gradually grew and grew until anything else could be heard. "The Spark of Creation, that which destroys and creates in equal measure; The Twilight Spark!" Marisa screamed as she forced all of her power into the Twin Hakkero, making them fire their energy further into the ship. They acted as the triggers for the gun, a weapon that no other ship, and few people, could match!

A half second later, everyone was blinded as the light of creation itself seared across the dark of space. The entire ship shuddered and shook, everyone feeling like they had just been hit by a planet, their chairs, and the straps holding them into them, nearly snapping as some unfortunate people gained instant bruising and in rare moments broken ribs, from the massive amount of recoil the Twilight Spark generated.

A regular Master Spark was fired from an open palm or a Hakkero in ones palm and was a kinetic beam of magical light and energy. At four meters wide in all directions, they could reach upwards of three dozen kilometers if unimpeded. The Twilight Spark however, maxed its width at nearly one hundred and seventy nine kilometers wide, and seared a path of destruction across the darkness of space. It lasted a complete minute before dying down and out of existence, and when it was gone Marisa was able to look upon her handiwork.

Three quarters of the Alien fleet was gone, vaporized by the heat and kinetic punch of the most powerful Spark of all time. Those few ships that still sat in the void either hadn't been inside its hitbox, or had been seared in half, and were more like half functioning chunks of molten slag.

Marisa felt a feeling of elation well up inside of her and could not contain it whatsoever, leaping up into the air with a smile. "YES! Take that! I've managed the most powerful spark in all of Creation! Neither Shinki nor Mima could do it, but I did!"

Alongside their Headmaster and captain, the entire crew of the Final spark began cheering and celebrating as the rest of the mage fleet moved forward to clean up the remaining alien ships. The space above Shanxi was now clear, and it was now up to the ground forces to finish the job planet side.

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In a dark lonely corner of nonexistence a small spark flashed, bringing life to something that had stopped living, and thought to something that had stopped thinking.

Green haze surrounded the entity, allowing it to smile as it spoke for the first time in over one hundred and fifty years.

"Marisa, I knew you could do it. I'm back."

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Codex –

Alliance Titles – Though they do not appear in official documentation, many humans, Lunarians and Youkai who gain strength past F class often earn titles. These titles are like nicknames, ways that others reference them for their power, personality or looks, and can be respectful, childish, hateful, and everything in between.

 **Hakkero** – The Hakkero, alternatively called the Eight trigram elemental reactor, is a magical object that generates magical, specifically elemental, energy over time and harnesses' it within itself until it is released, either over time or all in one go. The first weapons grade Hakkero was designed by Rinnosuke Morichika, and given to Marisa Kirisame, but was destroyed when the border fell.

The Hakkero is one of the three basic technologies for MAGTECH Reactors, providing the magical energy they create and power, and even a small Hakkero has absurd amounts of power within it that can be released with a single thought and touch. To own a Hakkero, even a non-weapons grade one, one must either be an engineering student, or have a special permit. This is due to the absurd power they generate, and their capability for destruction.

A Hakkero is always shaped like an octagonal block with the eight trigrams shaped around a central symbol often, but not always, a Ying Yang symbol. Because of this, all MAGTECH Reactors have a cylindrical or octagonal shape to them.

ship note -

AOS Philosophe, White Lotus, Wonderland Design note - while the final spark uses a custom design I came up with, rather simply really as it's just a long octagon of a gun. The other three capitol ships here had their basic design borrowed from "Sins of a Solar Empire", though alterations are then put onto them.

The Philosophe's base design was built of a Kortul Desolator, though with its massive philosopher stone cannon the front it wouldn't look as smooth or pretty.

The White Lotus is designed off an Antorak Marauder, while the Wonderland is designed off a Skirantra carrier, though less pointy.

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Operative Bio – Byakuren

Name: Byakuren Hijiri

Race: Magician (previously human)

Gender: Female

Age: over 1000 – Looks mid forty's

Power rank: A

Class: 1

Class Specifics: Can work with nearly anyone as long as they are willing. Has difficulty commanding huge numbers of forces however as she worried about their wellbeing and tries to micromanage their actions with the intent of keeping them safe.

Powers: High level magic - focusing on self enhancement and spiritual magic's.

Capabilities/skills: healing, enhancement, relegation, ability to stop arguments ad reach a balance between people and groups. Ability to help others find their lot in life and find new paths.

Bio: Historically a Buddhist monk, Byakuren hijiri gained a fear of death when she lost her younger brother and then began learning magic to enhance her own body and keep herself young. Over time she has used her magic, and her years of wisdom as a way to ted hand help people find their similarities to others and stop violence, believing that violence should be a final option, not the first. When not acting as an operative she runs her Magical academy ship the white lotus, teaching people magic to better themselves and those around them. it has no offensive weapons, all of them instead focusing on protection and defence.

It is known that she does not get along well with those who are more aggressive in their problem solving, and particularly dislikes Marisa Kirisame for her ideals. She is against the attack plan against the Aliens, and hopes to find a way to end the violence quickly and without loss of life.

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Operative Bio – Alice

Name: Alice Margatroid

Race: Youkai magician.

Gender: Female

Age: unknown. looks mid twenties.

Power rank: A

Class: 2

Class Specifics: Prefers to work alone, but can work with others who understand some extent of her power and can avoid getting in her way.

Powers: Magic, focusing on Omni type control and manipulation magic.

Capabilities/skills: strategy, puppetry, sewing, construction, planning. Tactical explanation ability.

Bio: a passive loner who prefers time to herself, but will not tell others to get going directly, Alice is a proficient Omni magic user who specializes on creating and controlling a veritable swarm of dolls. These dolls can do anything from fight with swords and tactics, to snipe foes with rifles and commit suicide runs. It is known she has managed to make semi sentient dolls as well.

Alice is very tactically minded, and hates the idea of wining with brute force to such an extent that she will actually hold herself back from going all out even if it means losing unless her own life is in danger.

She used to live in Makai with her adoptive mother, Shinki, until she went insane and destroyed Makai. Little is known about this time, and asking anyone who was present during the event is considered taboo.

When not acting as an operative she runs her school called Wonderland that specializes in omni magic and the ability to manipulate other things around her. In combat her ship has few weapons, instead relying on the students to create and form 'fighters' from the numerous hangers and guiding them into battle with magic.

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Operative Bio – Patchouli

Name: Patchouli Knowledge

Race: Witch / magician.

Gender: Female

Age: over 200. Looks in mid-twenties to thirties.

Power rank: S

Class: 2

Class Specifics: can work with others, but unless they can keep up with all of her plans and abilities, find them lacking and in her way.

Powers: Magic, focusing on Elemental magic of all kinds.

Capabilities/skills: studying, information hunting, teaching

Bio: historically a shut in scholar and librarian who suffered from asthma, anemia and general poor health, Patchouli did not often leave the Scarlet Devil Mansion where she live with her friend Remilia. She would sometime make trips to the human village to teach its children, but her health often denied her this.

After the border broke and Lunarian health drugs became widespread, her health improve greatly, allowing her to do much more. She prefers reading and doing research to action, using her role as a school headmaster to give her many excuses for this. She is a capable teacher, but dislikes those who do not try, or simply do not understand something without trying for much time on their own. It is considered difficult to get a straight answer from her for most things, something that actually makes her teachings stick more effectively than most people expect.

Before going to Gensokyo, she managed to create one of the first permanents philosopher's stones, and has since made a far larger set that acts as an elemental charge for her ships main gun, something akin to an elemental revolver. students at her school are known to have a greater command of the elements, and have excellent control of their abilities.

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Operative Bio – Marisa

Name: Marisa Kirisame

Race: human magician

Gender: Female

Age: 129

Power rank: S

Class: 2

Class Specifics: Can work with nearly everyone, but is classed as class 2 due to the fact she outpaces most around her, and will leave them behind both in speed and power. Others can act as a good force to mop up what she leaves behind, but few can keep up with her energy.

Powers: High level magic. Alchemy (potion making)

Capabilities/skills: Studying, sneaking, construction, alchemy.

Bio: The only human with no natural abilities to ever stand up against some of the most powerful youkai in history and live, Marisa is a walking legend in the Alliance, often considered the most forward and hardworking individual in the world. Once she plans on doing something she does not let anything stop her, and has the drive to see it through, managing to become so powerful that high level youkai actual fear encountering her. It is said that few can beat he in a display of power, and that only Reimu Hakurei or Yukari Yakumo could hold her back if he decided to do something, though some say the magicians Alice Margatroid and Patchouli Knowledge, her friends in crime, could as well.

Marisa was initially taught magic by her mother, but when her mother passed away due to an alchemical accident, her father refused to allow her to continue practicing magic. She immediately ran away from home and made herself a new home in the Forest of Magic, scavenging, stealing, and getting help from her family friend, Rinnosuke Morichicka, to survive and learn on her own. For many years she learned from a Ghost known by the name of Mima who disappeared with the destruction of Makai.

After the borders fell, she along with Reimu, were two of the most prominent people that went around dealing with violent and uncontrolled youkai, making her one of the first true operatives. She is considered by many to be legally insane, as well as very forward and honest, unless being talked to about theft.

When not working as an operative, she either teaches on her academy ship, the Final Spark, or is doing her own research therein. Students who go through her school are often far more powerful than others, but sometimes have trouble controlling their powers or understanding the meaning of overkill.


	11. CH11 - Biotics and blades

**Authors note: Sorry for the wait for this chapter, a convention, this disgusting heat, and life got in the way.**

 **Also, the next chapter is when i shall close the Shepard poll, its a tight race so please do vote if you havnt already**

 **Now on with the show!**

"Heh, looks like we owe Marisa a drink after this is all done."

Tenshi smiled as she looked over to Iku, her long-time friend and assistant. Iku was wearing a similar uniform to her own, though the accents and edging were blue and red in coloration. She was standing at a window of the drop shuttle they were in, glancing out at the beam that was devastating the alien fleet, Marisa's handiwork. "We'll just have to surpass her with taking control of the situation quicker than expected then. Otherwise Marisa will gloat about this every chance she gets." Tenshi replied with a grin as she sat against the back wall of the shuttle.

"That may be a challenge, unless you're planning on hitting every alien with a lightning bolt at once!" came a snide remark from one side of the shuttle.

Tenshi looked up at the voices owner and grinned. Standing there was Reisen Udongien Inaba, a moon rabbit of Luna and one of Lady Kaguya's oldest retainers, second only to Eirin Yagokoro. She was the highest ranked Red Eye in the alliance, as well as a mid-ranked operative. She wore low fitted black leather pants and a simple black sleeveless shirt with a vest over it. Two holsters and sheathes were held firmly on the belt around her waist, and one of the knives was in her hands being sharpened by a small stone. Her hair was long and hadn't changed whatsoever from how she kept in in Gensokyo, but she did have some sort of earpiece that went from her ear down around her neck and over both eyes, giving her red eyes a pinkish hue.

"Hardly. That would be Iku's job." Tenshi said as she looked at Reisen and then glanced at the eight other Red Eyes that were sitting or standing in the shuttle with them, preparing for their quickly approaching mission.

"Please don't make me try that." Iku said with a sigh. "If I cannot see them, it would be nigh impossible to hit them accurately even for me."

"I think she's taking you seriously." Reisen said with a grin as she flipped her knife around, more akin to a dagger from its shape, and slipped it into its sheathe without even looking.

"Yes, she is." Tenshi replied with a grin, making Iku sigh again.

" **Entering Atmosphere!"** came the shuttle pilot's voice through the intercom, just as fire seemed to flare up outside every window of the shuttle.

"About time," Tenshi muttered as she looked to Reisen. "Your people are ready?"

"Yes, unless the mission has changed."

"It hasn't. I want your forces spread across the city and harassing the alien forces. Kill commanders, squad leaders, or any other targets you wish. Sabotage their equipment if possible. Terrorize their entire force and give them reason to fear the alliance."

"More reason in addition to the ones that our other forces will give them?"

"Yes."

Resien nodded and after a few second of silence looked at Tenshi again. "Why did you want us to come with you down to the planet in a shuttle?"

"It's faster. The quicker I get down and take command, the sooner I can control the battlefield. I want to be in control before our main forces get down and fully deployed, and considering that our cruisers, while able to enter atmosphere, are slow, this is the fastest way." Tenshi explained calmly.

"It may be fast, but if the cruisers are landing behind us, we could come under attack." Reisen countered.

"She has already made up her mind, there's no changing it." Iku provided just before the shuttle suddenly shook a bit, making every Red Eye hop to their feet and ready weapons in less than a second.

"Sit rep, now!" Tenshi commanded as she tapped an earpiece in her right ear.

" **We're getting long range flak from the alien base outside the city. Alien strike craft are also trying to strafe us. Shanxi's air defence is thinner than expected."**

"Did something happen to some of the air defences?" Iku asked as she held a button on the one wall.

" **Unsure. Our shields are holding, but the landing zone may be hot."**

"How long until we arrive?" Tenshi asked sternly

" **One minute."**

"Then just hover above the LZ, we'll airdrop." Tenshi ordered as she stood up, causing everyone to tense at her words with anticipation.

"An airdrop, really?" Reisen asked as she began stretching in the shuttle along with the rest of the Red Eyes.

"It's the fastest way down." Tenshi said as she reached to one side of the wall and reefed on a level, causing the whole wall to begin opening up, creating a massive, yet withstandable wind to buffet the insides of the shuttle.

Outside of the shuttle, Xi'an was under siege. Buildings had clearly been destroyed, but it was also clear that the defensive lines that Tenshi had discussed with Williams were, for the most part, holding as intended. Alien aircraft, shaped like small pods with attached wings, flew about over the city with impunity, and the only AA that appeared to be firing were the mechanical emplacements around the headquarters. Tenshi's strategy was to use everyone's abilities to their best, and Yuuka had volunteered to operate her sunflowers as an AA resource. If they were not firing, had something happened to her?

" **We're above the LZ!"** The pilot said as the shuttle came to a stop to the side of Xi'an's command centre landing pad. **"Good hunting!"**

Pulled out of her thoughts by the pilot, Tenshi took a step forward and stepped out of the shuttle. She smiled at the familiar feeling of falling through the sky without a care, and quickly righted her body and landed on the platform with little more than a small step, making no sound whatsoever. A moment later Reisen and her forces landed soundlessly behind Tenshi, and then Iku floated down, having chose to slow her descent.

Turing around and looking up Tenshi could see the cruisers that were behind them now arriving, slowly descending over the city in preparation to disembark their forces. Lasers and beams then filled the sky as the cruisers attempted to keep the fighters off of them, to deadly effect.

"We're out of here. Time to see just how mad we can make these aliens." Reisen suddenly said as she and the Red Eyes all turned around and rushed off, jumping down the mountainside like it was nothing to them.

Tenshi nodded and did not even watch them go as she turned and headed toward the doorway into the command building, until the sound of a screaming in the air caught her attention. High above, zipping between two of the cruisers was an alien fighter craft, its one side letting a trail of was losing altitude fast, and then turned toward the platform, right at Iku and Tenshi, as if hoping to take someone out as a last act

"Shall I? Iku asked as she took a step forward, her red and white shawl floating around her, and crackling with energy.

"No, I'll deal with it." Tenshi said as she pulled the sword handle off her belt, the bright golden blade forming seemingly out of nowhere as it was touched.

Iku stepped back as the alien craft opened fire, sending small blue bolts toward them like hail as it careened towards them. Tenshi's arm moving staggeringly fast , blocking each round, destroying them on contact with her blade until the craft tried to pull up, passing over her head, and grinding into the landing platform behind them, skidding across it to the far edge before stopping. Surprisingly it did not explode, and a couple of seconds later, the canopy popped off of it, shattering on the platform. The battered form of an alien crawled out of the craft, making noises that Tenshi assumed were akin to a cough as it tried to get to its feet. Some information had been sent to her already on what the aliens looked like, but this was the first time Tenshi or Iku had seen one of the aliens, and they were not very impressive looking. They had small claws, seemingly pointless mandibles, and their legs were bent backwards, perhaps good for sprinting, but little else. Its skin was a metallic grey blue, and coming off of its head were numerous horns. Pulling out some sort of small weapon it turned to Tenshi and squawked, pointing its weapon at her.

"Stand down or die. Only warning." Tenshi stated as she pointed her blade at the alien.

The alien simply squawked again and shook its weapon, pulling some sort of disc out with its free hand and holding it at the ready.

"I warned you." Tenshi muttered with a shake of her head as red mist began forming around her blade. Hisou no Tsurugi was not a regular blade by any stretch of imagination, and the alien was about to find out why.

The alien fired its weapon, spitting a blue streaked fleck at Tenshi, who simply sidestepped it and dashed forward, grazing through the subsequent rounds the alien fired. Grazing was the act of utilizing a barrier alongside fast movement, usually flight or a linear dashing motion. The barrier would move enemy attacks to the side, allowing the user to close the distance and keep themselves protected and ready to strike all at the same time. It did have its drawbacks however, as a strong enough attack from the front, or attacks from the sides or rear, would often break through and hit. The alien's weapon was not capable of piercing her barrier, and within a second Tenshi was right in front of the alien, much to its surprise.

Swigging Hisou in a wide arc, seemingly bending far more than a sword should be capable of doing, Tenshi bifurcated the alien, dropping its upper half to the ground with a thump as its legs then fell forward a second later. Turning around and walking back toward Iku, Tenshi looked over Hisou, focusing her attention onto the mist that formed around its golden edge.

"So, what is their weakness?" Iku asked as she met Tenshi halfway across the platform and then turned toward the door into the building.

"Earth and water it appears." Tenshi said as the disc in the alien's dead hand, apparently a form of grenade, went off and blew its body to pieces. "If I was to use its weakness to affect the weather we'd get a torrential downpour that would likely flood the streets.

"Could be useful then if we use it right," Iku provided as they both stopped by the door as a shadow loomed over them, a cruiser slowly stopping above the platform.

"Perhaps, but I will hold back for now until our forces have landed. We'll let them have some fun, while we find out exactly what the situation is!"

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Rumia let out a smile as the infantry forces all stood and prepared to disembark from the cruiser carrying them. They had moved over Xi'an, the doors to the cargo bay had opened up revealing the city in all its splendor, and it was time to begin their mission.

"You all know your mission, deploy to the defensive lines to reinforce and hold them. Once the Special Forces have landed and come up behind you, you can join them in their advance. Good hunting!" The commander of the division said, just before turning around and running down the ramp to jump out of the cruiser.

In that moment everyone else began doing the same, leaping from the cruiser down to the battle below. youkai and Lunarians had powerful bodies, and leaping such a great height posed little problem to them. Even humans with a little technological assistance found it not as dangerous or fatal as it once had been.

Within a minute nearly a hundred soldiers had landed in the streets and flooded down them, spreading out to their predetermined locations as a hundred more prepared to come down behind them

Rumia flew down one street with a smile, heading towards the furthest defensive barrier alongside nearly four dozen other soldiers, a mix of various youkai, humans and Lunarians. Being behind their own lines they encountered no alien infantry, only the occasional fighter that tried to strafe them with little accuracy due to the cruisers supporting fire above them.

"Smoke ahead! Double time it!" one soldier called as he pointed toward a plume of smoke rising over a building ahead of them, right near their objective.

Everyone let out cries and roars as they turned the safeties off their guns, readied their magic, and drew their weapons.

Around the next building they found the barrier in broken pieces across the ground, its defenders lying on the ground or crouched behind rubble as they fired over at the alien forces that were further down the street.

The alien force was spearheaded by two angular floating vehicles with some form of turret on their tops. They fired a near constant stream of the blue glowing shots down the street, and beside them their infantry stood like a wall of armour and guns. It would have been an imposing sight to many, but not the Alliance, not Youkai, Lunarians, and the humans that trained and fought beside them as their equals.

No one had seen the aliens in person, yet despite this being their first view of them, not a single person held back, and rushed forward to the barrier, reinforcing their allies with all they had. Lasers, beams and magic soared through the breach in an instant, and the barriers defenders cried out in joy at the support as they fired with renewed vigor. The aliens were taken completely by surprise and fell apart for a moment, until their vehicles pushed forward and turned sideways, blocking their allies from being struck.

"Hold their attention!" Rumia cried out as she crouched down and moved to one side of the barrier by a collapsed alleyway. Concentrating for a moment she formed a ball of darkness in her hand and grinned as she popped back out of the alleyway and tossed it into the alien's ranks. A moment later the entire alien force was covered in black mist, making it impossible to see them, or for them to see.

Much to everyone's surprise, Rumia then leapt over the barrier and charged into the black mist, holstering her pistol and brandishing her sword in both hands. In the past, her abilities affected her like they did anyone else, making her darkness useless for most situations besides self-preservation. Now she could see through it perfectly, as if there was no darkness surrounding her or the aliens. They glanced around in fear and confusion, easy prey for her blade.

Each swing of her blade cut deep into the aliens, their barriers unable to activate to counter its speed, and their frail armour unable to stand up to the strength of such swings. Cries of pain and fear echoed out of the darkness as her blade danced through them, severing limbs from bodies, dividing torso's and shattering weapons upon her blade.

Leaping through the darkness Rumia could tell it was beginning to thin and lunged at one of the vehicles, hoping to destroy at least one of them. Her blade soared through the air and into its armor, slicing partway through, but stopping before she could finish the cut. Reefing on the blade did nothing but make metal groan and whine, but it would not budge. Whatever it had struck beyond the armour had firmly caught hold of her blade, it would not move.

"Damn thing! Rumia groaned as she placed a foot on the vehicle and continued to pull, even going so far as taking out her pistol and firing at the armour around her blade, hoping to break it free.

"Get out of there!" someone called from behind her, causing Rumia to glance around, to see the second vehicle aiming its main gun at her.

Rumia just grinned as the gun began whirring. The gun fired, but not quickly enough to hit her as Rumia used her lodged sword to spin around onto the top of the alien vehicle. With her pistol in hand she fired at the second vehicle from atop the first until it realigned its gun at her and fired, dodging its shot by moving at the last second, a blue fleck skinning her cheek as she moved. Running around the vehicle as it tried and failed to track her, Rumia climbed up its back and began shooting at the turret, causing it to spin around to target her, while the vehicle itself still spun around. Jumping off of it Rumia positioned herself between both vehicles, but instead of the one firing on her, it moved to the side, and the other tried to fire on her. It seemed these aliens were too smart to fall for being tricked into shooting each other, she needed a new plan, one that did not include running off and leaving her sword embedded in an enemy vehicle!

As if answering her prayers, four beams suddenly seared from the barrier and into the vehicle she had been harrying, cutting and burning though its armour until it began to some and explode. This took barely two seconds with all four beams focusing their fire on its side.

Taking the chance that she was given Rumia chose to deal with the other vehicle herself. Grabbing the turret of the one that had been destroyed off the ground she swung it around and threw it into the turret of the other, crushing them together before she rushed forward and gripped her sword again, this time standing on the vehicle from above it.

All four of the soldiers with beam weaponry began firing on the vehicle in that second, and much to Rumia's joy, one of the beams was striking right beside her blade, heating and cutting through the armour. Her blade budged, then shifted, and finally she ripped it out of the enemy vehicle , just before it exploded and sent her flying back to the ruins of the barrier with a hard crack.

"Ow. Not my best choice of actions." Rumia groaned as she sat up and shook her head, feeling a little dizzy from the explosions blast wave and the knock she took on landing.

"I'd say, you're bleeding from three different places just at a glance." Said a human man as he knelt down and looked over Rumia's wounds, a medic from her group. "It looks like the projectile that hit your side is embedded, the two that hit your one arm went right through and your regeneration is healing them already, but I'll have to extract the projectile that is stuck in you, otherwise you'll heal over it."

"Oh, that would suck. This will hurt. Get it over with." Rumia said with a grimace as the medic pulled out what looked like a long pair of tweezers with teeth on the inside. She hated getting things extracted from wounds, it hurt far more than the wound itself ever did, and true to past experience she had to hold back a screech as the medic plunged the tweezer into the small wound and dug around for a second before pulling out what looked like a ball bearing, only it was smaller, like a grain of sand. "Wait, that's it?"

"Yes, it's smaller than I expected." The medic said calmly as he ducked down a bit, a couple of blue flecked shots flying overhead.

"No wonder I barely felt them." Rumi said as she licked her thumb and rubbed it on her cheek, smudging a small amount of blood before licking it off her thumb. "So how much damage did I do?"

"A pretty fucking lot, lass!" A British human man said from a few feet away as he leaned against a pile of debris. "You single handedly cut apart most of their vanguard, and with that we had time to dig in with everyone's help. You reinforcements know how to make a bloody effective entrance!"

"No, it's just one of our division's resident blade maniacs who's trying to get into the BladeBreakers." The medic said with a shake of his head as he slid back a bit and looked at Rumia. "Don't jump into combat again for a couple minutes so your regeneration finishes up."

"Yes, Dad!" Rumia said mockingly as she shifted and looked over the barrier, seeing the aliens not pulling back from their position at the streets end, but not moving forward either. Some of them were taking shots at the barrier at range, and their own people answered these shot for shot. "I don't think they're going to attack again anytime soon anyway."

"No, probably not. They've lost their armour, so they'll wait I think. We pushed them back a few times, but just before you came an airstrike hit us pretty hard and decimated our defences." one soldier, who looked wounded and weary, said from experience. "If you've arrived, how long until our forces are ordered to push forward?"

"We already have the order. As soon as the BladeBreakers start pushing forward, so do we." A Lunarian, holding a heavy beam rifle explained calmly as he set his rifle on the debris, pointing it downrange in case he needed to use it.

"Pretty soon I think, actually." Rumia said with a smile as she looked up at the command building and could see a cruiser leaving the landing platform into the evening light.

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With the last of the Special Forces disembarked, and the cruiser that transported them flying back into orbit, the BladeBreaker squads and the EarthRazer forces all began to prepare. The BladeBreakers broke up into their groups and began checking over their weapons, while the Earthrazers began organizing the area around the platforms, making sure they could set up their long range guns without problem.

"Make sure the gun legs are down nice and firm! We don't want them shifting as they fire!" Mokou no Fujiwara, the operative in charge of the Earthrazers called out to her people, getting positive responses from all of them.

Earthrazers were both heavy support and heavy assault specialists, focusing either on massive destruction from afar, or scorched earth from close up. With the Bladebreakers taking point on the operation, the Earthrazers were acting as long range heavy fire support, something they were all fine with.

The primary weapon of the Earthrazers in a support role was one of the Alliances few ground vehicles, the Merlin Self-propelled Variable Gun. It was designed partially off the early 21st century human self-propelled artillery guns. Like them it had a driver's canopy and had the main gun on the back of the vehicle, and it had external legs that deployed when it was to fire, but the similarities ended there. Once set up and ready to deploy its fire, the back section of the Merlin would open up, revealing a large crystal that glowed and pulsed in all colors. Around this crystal was a cage of metal that was open on one end, where five rails extended out like the sides of a barrel. Beside this crystal was a seat and console of controls where its operator controlled the gain, aiming and firing it as ordered. With the controls they could change the shots velocity, parabolic arc, size, as well as the element and how powerful the shot was. All of this meant that the Merlin was a very viable weapon for long range support, the only downside however was that it was not well armored, as additional armour beyond the guns travel casing, would interrupt the magical energy, meaning they could not take punishment beyond very small kinetic fire.

This problem was dealt with partially by its innate range, but also by the fact that as long as the battlefield was controlled and they were protected, they would not come under fire. With the command centre's AA they would be well protected, especially once they had firing coordinates.

Mokou had already spoken with Reisen by a private communication, so the Red Eyes, once the artillery were set up, would be able to call in precision artillery strikes on targets they deemed dangerous. Luckily, there were four Merlin's being set up, and very soon their crews would be itching to get to work.

Stepping away from the preparing crews, Mokou walked over to the edge of the platform and looked down at Xi'an. Smoke, fire, explosions, the sounds of laser and magic fire, and the occasional laugh or cry of enjoyment could be heard even from all the way above the city. It had been so long since many had been able to let loose, that most of their forces that did enjoy such violence were reveling in it.

She could roughly make out the lines of battled from the platform, and noticed that the BladeBreaker squads that had landed with them, had disappeared and were rushing down the mountain side into the city, not willing to wait any longer. It was going to be a very bloody first encounter for the aliens.

Turning around and walking over to her forces Mokou opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as the sound of an engine roared nearby. Turning on instinct she spun her leg out in a wide kick, sending out a wave of thick orange flame into the air, where an alien fighter craft suddenly appeared, having been in flight against the mountainside. Her flames struck it dead on, and the grey ship was suddenly glowing hot, its armour melting off of it, and its engines lighting on fire from the excessive heat. A moment later it simply stopped going up, and came back down as a ball of melting metal that splashed against the mountain side.

Mokou stared back out at the city, looking past it at the forest and further to the barely noticeable alien encampment, a field beside it where alien fighter craft took off and landed from. "Are the Merlin's set up yet?" Mokou called as she turned back and stormed over to the gun crews.

"All set! Ready for fire orders!" One solider called as he climbed up the cage around the merlin's crystal and dropped himself into the control chair.

"Good. Set the guns for high energy electrical cluster rounds!" Mokou said as she turned back around and looked across the city one last time before she would begin altering its looks herself. "Target the alien camp and airfield!"

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Saren growled as he ducked behind a wall, narrowly dodging alien fire that struck a soldier a few feet behind him, killing him instantly. Everything had gone bad since he had met his brother on the battlefield.

After losing the other two members of his group he had met back up with the rest of his cabal unit, which had taken similar casualties. After getting his arm looked over, and confirming it had just been bruised and twisted, he and the other cabals were back at the front, assisting another group that was trying to push through another alien barrier.

Then there was the strange beam up in space that caused a loss of communications, making every front confused as only short range communications were working between units, and communications with the camp was sporadic and jumbled. Even worse, almost immediately after that, alien ships began coming down into the planet's atmosphere, where they seemed to airdrop into the city!

Those exact reinforcements were responsible for his current situation. An airstrike had managed to destroy the oversized gun and the barrier it had been protecting, allowing the Jiris to move forward and act as walls, letting their forces move close enough to put real pressure on the alien defenders. They had destroyed the barrier, and then alien reinforcements came with some sort of smokescreen. Saren hadn't seen it himself, but everyone was saying that a single alien wielding a long sword, had ran in and torn apart the Jiris single handily, ending their offensive as the alien reinforcements pushed them back with their beams weapons.

He didn't believe a single alien could do so much, but the truth was that they had been pushed back just before his own unit arrived to support them, and the number of aliens now defending the barrier had grown, easily tripling their number, if not more. They had three jiris still, but with the alien heavy weapons able to punch through them in a matter of seconds, it was a flimsy shield, and the operators did not want to risk it, not until they had some more support, both from the ground and air.

Which led to the situation they now found themselves in, dug in at the end of road while they, and the aliens, exchanged rounds at a range that made it difficult to ascertain if anything was even hit!

"Spirits forsaken aliens!" one Turian roared as he moved his rifle around a pile of rubble and fired blindly for a couple of seconds before pulling back. "Ugh, where is that air support!?"

As if answering his cries a pair of Turian fighters zipped past overhead, pummelling the alien line with fire from their cannons. As they pulled up though, a pair of beams shot up, striking the wings of one fighter and sending it careening to the ground in the distance, hidden by buildings. The other was fired upon, but with some fancy maneuvers managed to dodge the beams, only to be on a course for crashing into the massive mountain at the back of the city. To everyone's amazement it managed to pull up and fly along the rise of the mountain, only for a wave of what looked like flames to flash out and engulf it, causing it to melt as it flew up, and then fell back done against the mountain, tumbling as a ball of flame.

"Oh, spirits. That's not good." the same Turian who had been complaining about the air support said in a very defeated tone.

Saren averted his gaze, looking instead at the alien line down the street; only, something was off about it. Grabbing an extra sniper rifle of the ground beside him he looked down its scope, to find, much to his surprise, the aliens appearing to fall back!

"The alien forces are falling back!" another Turian declared, evidently having noticed the same movement that Saren had.

"But why would they-?" one Turian began to ask, until a massive chain of noise echoed across the city as balls of yellow blue energy began being launched from the platform beside the cities command structure across the whole city.

"Spirits, they have artillery? Did they bring them in on those ships?" Saren muttered to himself as his mind began swirling with possibilities, including what the artillery could be firing at.

"The enemy is falling back! We need to push ahead!"

"No, their firing on the base, we-.."

"We stay put!" Saren yelled, catching the attention of everyone who was arguing and nervous about what to do. "The enemy is pulling back and have artillery; they are likely trying to lure us to a positon they can strike us. The buildings must protect us here, so we stay here and wait for the extra reinforcements and artillery support we requested!"

"Sir, yes-.."

"Contact!" A Turian suddenly called out, bringing all eyes down the road to where the alien line had been.

To everyone's surprise, a single alien was standing in the middle of the road. No one had managed to get a solid look at any alien yet, but something about the alien just standing there sent warning sirens blaring in everyone's mind, even more so when they slowly began walking down the street toward them.

"Are they armed?" Saren called out, hoping for answers. If the alien was unarmed, it was possible they had defected, or were delivering a notice of surrender. Not that they would be able to understand them as of yet, no one had heard anything about how a translation for their language was going.

"Unsure." A Turian replied as he looked through a rifle scope at the lone alien. "They carry no projectile weapon, but there's something on its waist."

"Let's take a look." Saren said as he took a sniper of the ground and looked through it at the alien.

The alien's basic build and looks matched that of reports from other squads, but the longer he looked at them, the more worried he became. The alien was clearly female judging by the shape of its waist and the curves on its upper body. She wore strange short pants that left the lower half of her legs bare and simple shoes that only went halfway up to her knees. A simple green shirt covered her upper body, short in its length and showing off a sparse strip of her belly. Over that she had a jacket, short in its length and its sleeves. All of her clothing was dark green in coloration except for the jacket, which was black. The fur on her head, in stark contrast to her clothing, was completely white and cut immaculately short.

What caught Saren's attention however, were the last three things he noticed. The alien woman had what looked to be melee weapons of some sort, likely swords, hanging off her waist in sheathes. She walked with a confident gait that screamed skill and training, and hovering above her, bouncing around aimlessly, was a mass of white mist like something that seemed to follow her. Was it some sort of Vi assisted drone?

Suddenly, the alien woman stopped, grabbed one of the sheathes with one hand, and the handle of the blade with the other, and fell into some sort of combat stance with one leg stretching forward, while the other bent down. Wind seemed to begin whipping around her as her stance bent further back, putting the rear end of the sheathe high into the air.

"Oh spirits, brace for attack!" Saren yelled out in realization, a second too late.

As soon as his words left his mouth, that woman struck, disappearing in the blink of an eye and appearing in the middle of the Turian forces nearly a dozen meters behind the two Jiris that had been completely in her way. Barely a fraction of a second later, both of the Jiris exploded as they were ripped in half lengthwise, and every Turian within a meter of the Jiris suddenly fell, their upper half's falling to the ground as blood spurted from both of their halves. With both Jiris's gone, and their comrades killed in such an impossible way, every Turian was stunned for a moment. It was all the time the alien woman needed.

The white mass of mist beside her bolted at a Turian, catching them in the shoulder and sending them to the ground with a spin. In that same moment the woman rushed to a Turian beside them, bringing her sword up through his lower torso up to his shoulder, cutting through armour, skin and bone with absolutely no resistance. As his body fell in two she moved on, and split three more Turians, often with only a single handed swing of her blade.

"Fire! Spirits take her down and fire!" one officer finally called a he raised a pistol at the woman and pulled the trigger, feeling the familiar kick of a mass accelerated round flying at his target. He saw the round streak toward her, but at the last second her free arm was impossibly above her head holding a smaller second blade, and she had seemingly not been hit.

Every Turian was now trying to fire at the alien, but simply holding her shorter blade in a reverse grip in front of her produced a seemingly impenetrable field, stopping every shot that tried to hit her as she continued to move forward, slicing into Turian's who could not move out of the way fast enough.

"Grr, stay still!" Saren growled as he pulled the trigger on the rifle he had, sending a shot down at her, only for it to ping away harmlessly as she moved her arm, her eyes falling on him at the same moment. "Oh, spirits." Saren muttered as he dropped the rifle and quickly pulled out his pistol.

This choice saved his life, as the alien woman lunged at him swinging her blade in a broad horizontal arc. Already having dropped his rifle, Saren threw himself to the ground, twisting so he faced the alien from below. Firing his pistol twice, one round missed, and the other skimmed the aliens arm, causing a thin line of red to appear on it skin. Its barrier was not permanent and didn't surround its entire body; it only appeared in front of it when it willed it!

The alien turned to Saren and moved forward, swinging its blade again at Saren who had tried to get up. Throwing himself to the side Saren threw out his arm, letting loose a biotic throw that flew right into the alien, knocking them backwards almost a dozen feet.

To his surprise however, the alien twisted in the air and landed on her feet, narrowing her eyes at him with a pained expression.

Saren grinned as an idea came to his mind. If the alien's barrier only protected its front, he merely needed to hit them in the back! Forcing power into his one arm, he raised his pistol in the other and fired at the alien, watching it produce its barrier in response as it took a step toward him. "Come on you savage! Come and die already!" He yelled as he felt his biotics surging to their greatest height. He was ready!

The alien rushed forward, holding its short blade in front of it, and the longer one to the side, clearly intent on plunging one of them into Sarens body, but as soon as she began moving, Saren reacted. Throwing his free hand up he produced a classic biotic attack meant for opening lines of movement, a Biotic Shockwave. A barrage of wide biotic shockwaves thrust forward like a knife, knocking aside anything in their path as they went. The first one to hit the alien was blocked by its barrier, but the second appeared right behind her, and sent her flying sideways to the ground. Before she had a chance to get up Saren launched another throw at her, sending her further sideways into a wreck of one of the Jiris with a thud.

Taking a step toward the alien, thinking of how much he would enjoy killing them when they had done to same to so many of his comrades, Saren glanced over the wrecked Jiris, and saw dozens if not hundreds of aliens all charging down the street, firing of their weapons and holding melee weapons high above their heads while screaming incoherently.

"Spirits, she was just the vanguard!" Saren said in shock as he looked back down at the alien, to see her now crouching on the ground. His training told him to shoot her, and his pistol moved to do just that, but she was faster, and her shorter blade whipped through the air and struck the side of his pistol slicing it cleanly in half, taking his trigger finger off with it.

None of his present training could stop the instant reaction of his remaining finger letting go of the remains of his gun, or screaming out in pain and grabbing onto his hand with his other, leaving him defenceless for a second. The aliens leg quickly came up and struck him in the side of the head, sending him sideways into a pile of debris.

"Gah, Sprits dammed savages," Saren groaned as he tried to push himself up, putting blue blood all over the debris beside him from his missing finger, and he glanced around. He was just in time to see dozen of alien of all shapes and sizes, all of them wielding melee weapons from knives, to clubs, to swords as long as they were tall, leaping over the Wrecked Jiris and cutting into his fellows.

Turian blood flicked into the air like raindrops and metal cut through them, too slow to be picked up by their barriers but fast and strong enough to dig right past their armour and into their flesh, sometimes right through the bone.

Most of the aliens went for Killing blows that would be instant, but he noticed a few of them went for more sadistic attacks, slicing limbs off and impaling people on their blades, only to throw them off to the side like garbage. He even saw one alien, wielding a sword of black metal, rush up to a Turian, impale them, and then literally bite his exposed neck with her mouth, before leaping back and sliding her blade out of their torso, just to swing it again and lop his head off.

These aliens were as brutal, no, more brutal than the Krogan! They were not savages; they were monsters masquerading as a species!

The alien that bit one of his comrades suddenly looked to Saren and said something in its tongue, causing many other aliens to turn to him, and one to aim what looked like a pistol at him. Then the white haired alien, who apparently had gotten up, yelled something, causing almost all of the aliens but a few, including the one that had bit into a Turian's neck, to run off and go after others in the area.

One alien walked over to the white furred one, holding what appeared to be a short blade, far more simple looking than what other aliens seem to carry, and spoke with them for a few seconds. Once done, they threw the sword to the ground at Sarens feet, along with a chain of some sort with a metal ring on each end. It seemed likely it was some sort of detaining tool, and it made the message clear.

Put the chains on and surrender, or pick up the blade and fight.

Saren looked around, looking at the carved up and mutilated bodies of his comrades, and then looked at the white furred alien, who now stood with her longer sword out and the shorter one sheathed, clearing stating she would fight him if he picked up the blade. It gave him a chance to study the alien's body a bit more, showing him that their body was extremely similar to an Asari, even down the number of fingers they had, five thin fingers on each hand. Unlike a Turian, if they lost a finger they could still use their hand, but without one of his fingers on is left hand, it would be impossible for Saren to hold anything with even slight capability.

His left hand was crippled. If he picked up the sword it would have to be in his right, the hand he preferred to use biotics with. He could of course use his biotics with his left, but with a finger missing, he could not be sure of his accuracy or control.

Despite this, he looked at the sword and felt anger well up inside him, alongside a malicious hope that he could inflict just as much pain to the one alien, as they had inflicted upon his entire people!

He stood up, and picked up the blade. The handle was an oval in shape, letting it sit well in is hand, but the weapon itself was extremely heavy, easily twice the weight of any gun the hierarchy used. Saren gave the sword an experimental swing, testing its weight and smiled at how well it moved in his hand, then fell into a stance he had not used since training.

All Turians entered the military at fifteen, and learned the basic for everything a soldier would need. If they wished, they could join special classes to learn extra skills, and one of those classes was advanced hand to hand combat, a class that had included a short, but painful and effective class on utilizing common objects as melee weapons when nothing else was available. Along with the very common knife training, Saren felt like he could use the blade to a decent degree, and hoped it would be enough to get him close enough to the alien to cripple it before he died by its hand!

Bringing his wounded hand to the blade, Saren held it in front of him and pointed the tip at the alien, taking a step forward as he did. This act seemed to signal that he was ready, as the white furred alien took a step forward, and then rushed forward, blade risen high above her head almost too fast for Saren to watch.

Saren reacted on impulse, moving the sword in his hands up in an attempt to block the blow. It did, but the force from it broke his guard, and threw his arms down against his chest, and the swords edge into his shoulder, right through his armour.

"Impossible!" Saren growled as he twisted and pushed the alien back before forcibly pulling his hands forward and pulling the blade out of his armour. He had felt the blades edge touch his skin under his armour, his form had broken. He had almost lost his right arm in a single instant! Just how strong was this alien, when it looked thinner than an Asari maiden!

Saren glared at the woman, seeing that she had returned to her original position in a single moment, as if she was mocking his reaction time!

"Fine then, you want to toy with me, then I'll kill you before you even realize your position here!" Saren yelled as he rushed forward, his left hand pulsing with biotic power. The alien woman did not move in any way, and as soon as he was within range he swung the blade with one hand, right at the alien's neck.

As he expected, the woman blocked it with her sword in one hand, but it left her side open, and Saren grinned as he let loose a throw at the alien. She flew backwards, but again flipped in midair and landed on her feet, looking at Saren with a disgusted look covering her face, as if her skin itself was writhing. Was something about these aliens biology affected negatively by biotics?

With that possible realization Saren lunged forward, using a biotic charge, and closed the distance between them with his sword leveled at her stomach, intent on impaling her. Miraculously, in the last moment the woman moved her blade in the way and parried Saren's blow, causing him to overshoot, and leaving him completely open.

With the backside of her blade, the woman swung up at his side, sending him flying sideways across the road and into the wall of a building. Unlike before, she immediately rushed towards him, and Saren, as soon as he got up, threw himself to the side and clenched his injured hand, letting out a massive wave of biotic destruction. A Biotic Nova.

The woman was thrown backwards as the debris, the wall, and even the street below Saren was torn apart. He was perfectly fine, and took a second to get up and saw the woman on the ground a dozen meters away. She was cringing and writhing as she got up; gazing at him with what he could only consider a cold stare of hate. Good, it was about time these aliens learned what fear of the hierarchy was!

Charging his biotics again, Saren inwardly smiled as he slowly began walking toward the obviously in pain alien, sure that a biotic warp would finish her off by devastating her molecular build. He watched the woman try to stand up and grinned, in pain as she was, there was no way she could dodge his finishing blow, and raised his hand to her.

Only for the alien to suddenly swing an arm up from her crouched form.

For a moment nothing seemed to happen, then Saren felt the pressure wave from her swing, a complete second after she had swung, and felt a pang of horror cross his mind as obscene pain spiked in his shoulder. His eyes tracked his left hand lift sideways to an impossible angle and then fall to the ground, the biotic energy arcing off of it for a few seconds. He glanced to his left, looking at his shoulder where nothing else was below it, his entire left arm lying on the ground in front of him.

Training could only hold back pain for so long, and in that moment, it overcame Saren's mind and he cried out in pain, dropping the sword to the ground as he reached at his shoulder on impulse. "You monsters! I will kill-.." Saren began to say as he looked up at the alien, only to see her swing her sword with its pommel aimed at his face.

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"Ow, that alien had a bit of skill, it hurt more than I expected." Youmu Konpaku muttered as she sheathed her blade and looked over the unconscious alien before her.

"Why did you want to fight it anyway?" Rumia asked as she leaned against the wreck of an alien vehicle, chewing on something bluish in color.

"I wanted to find something out." Youmu said with a shrug as she cringed a bit, touching her side where the weird blue energy attack had struck. "Do I want to know what that thing in your mouth is?"

"One of those aliens mouth flange things. A mandible maybe. I wanted to see if these aliens taste any good," Rumia replied as she spat out the mandible. "Kind of tastes like rust and paint."

Youmu let out a sigh as she shook her head. She had forgotten for a moment that many Youkai preferred fresh meat.

"So what did you want to find out?" Rumia then asked curiously.

"I wanted to see what kind of people these aliens are. They fight well, but I wanted to see how far some would go. It seems that given a chance to keep fighting these aliens may take it. They are very militaristic." Youmu said as she looked at the alien below her and scowled. "Just my luck to get one that manipulates element zero, yuck."

"Wait, that's what it was throwing at you?"

"Yes, my body ache's all over, and I feel like I'm contaminated from it," Youmu said with a shudder as she turned around and began walking away. "I'll need to cleanse myself of that element zero contamination, ugh." Youmu said with a shudder.

"That sucks. I think the force will be fine while you do that though. Shall I finish of the alien?" Rumia asked as she looked at his body and smiled.

"No, have its wounds cauterized and capture it. With the way it fought, it may be a leader of their forces and have Intel we can use. So make sure it lives." Youmu said as she walked off uncomfortably.

"Ugh, damn. Anyone got something to cauterize a wound?" Rumia asked the couple others nearby, one of whom stepped forward, aflame appearing in his hand.

"I can heat up your sword if that will work?"

"It will have to. Heat it fast." Rumia said with a sigh as she looked down at the aliens arm lying on the ground and picked it up with a lick of her lips. "Well, it won't need it anymore!"

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Codex

 **Youkai Diets –** While Humans and Lunarians are Omnivorous, a large number (37.2639%) of youkai are strictly carnivorous, with the majority of these youkai proffering their meat just recently killed, or alive, as they eat it. Because of this, many youkai who refer live meat, especially that of sapiens, hold back until high ranking criminals are sentenced to death, as such sentences are often carried out by such youkai. The war with aliens has given many of these such youkai a chance to try new meat uninhibited.

 **Magic and Element Zero –** in the Alliance, it is well known that element zero does not play nicely with magic. The little research done into element zero concluded that it and magic effect each other negatively, interrupting their cohesion. What this means is that youkai, or humans and Lunarians with magic, who contact element zero have their magic, or magical abilities inhibited by the element zero. It also often, because of this inhibition, causes a range of symptoms from uncomfortableness, to nausea and even spontaneous bleeding. Youkai who contact element zero get these symptoms to the extreme, with one instant of total organ failure being reported from element zero contamination.

Because of this, element zero is contained and destroyed in Alliance space, and is only kept in small amounts for research purposes.

It should be noted that space ships, and their crews are unaffected by the element zero field of mass relays, though magical Based weapons need to reset their systems when through.

 **Element Zero Contamination -** Element Zero contamination is the instance when a magic capable person is contacted by a larger amount of element zero, or the fields created by them. Small particles of the element zero become stuck to the contaminated person, causing negative symptoms that escalate over time, and can lead to total organ failure if untreated. Element Zero contamination can be treated by a cleansing shower or purification magic, and the newly gained knowledge that some of the invading alien race has some individuals with element zero in their body and the capability to create element zero fields, worries many.

Operative Bio – Tenshi

Name: Tenshi Hinanai

Race: Celestial

Gender: Female

Age: Unknown, Looks mid-twenties. Rumored to be well over four hundred at minimum.

Power rank: S

Class: 0

Class Specifics: Is capable of leading any number of allies provided there are the facilities to do so. Can directly lead nearly anyone and utilize people best suited for a job. Cannot/will not lead Yukari Yakumo or Reimu Hakurei into battle under any circumstance.

Powers: Ability to manipulate the weather and land. Manipulation of Temperament via the sword of Hisou

Capabilities/skills: leadership skills, tactically and strategic skills, mid rank sword skills, organizational skills.

Bio: Most Celestials are extremely relaxed people who care little for others, or anything besides their own relaxation and enjoyment. Tenshi however long ago grew tired of such a carefree and boring lifestyle, and came down to Gensokyo to cause havoc, and have fun at other people expense.

When the border broke down, Celestials became worried about the situation of the world, mainly because it could affect them. Tenshi however came done and helped the world deal with the situation and release of magic, alongside many others. Because of this, the celestials agreed that she would become the military force the celestials gave to the alliance, and she has served as this since its creation.

Historically selfish and arrogant, Tenshi has mellowed those particular personalities in favor of being far more serious and collected. her arrogance still shows from time to time, but she constantly tries her best to focus on her job, going so far as to study up on economics, military strategy, supply control and other various subjects in her free time.

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Operative Bio – Mokou

Name: Fujiwara no Mokou

Race: Human (Immortal)

Gender: Female

Age: Immortal and un-aging. She looks early twenties, but is well over 1500.

Power rank: A

Class: 1

Class Specifics: is skilled at effectively commanding those under her and protecting them from harm. Can work well with others, but has trouble commanding groups larger than 100.

Powers: manipulation and resistance to fire and heat. Immortality.

Capabilities/skills: Martial combat skills, Military command skills, Long distance targeting skills, Survival skills, cooking skills.

Bio: with a history over 1300 years in the making, Mokou has done more than most youkai, and as she is completely immortal, will continue to do as she wants for eons to come. Between stints of fighting with Kaguya Houraisen, Mokou used to work as a yakitori stall owner, and a guide, getting out of Gensokyo's bamboo forest. When the border broke, she began doing the same, getting regular people out of trouble, when not cooking food to make a living.

As an operative, Mokou has changed little. She still is the same person and is more than willing to help people in need. She runs a mid-scale restaurant when not acting as an operative, and while she still despises Kaguya, she no longer fights her on sight. It is of note that she used to be a loner, and while still considering herself one, is far more willing to just talk to people and make conversation.

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Operative Bio – Youmu

Name: Youmu Konpaku

Race: Half Human/ Half ghost

Gender: Female

Age: over 180, looks mid-twenties.

Power rank: A

Class: 2

Class Specifics: works best when unhindered by those that cannot keep up with her, but is still capable of leading small groups of units personally, or commanding large groups without leading bide them.

Powers: superhuman Speed and concentration.

Capabilities/skills: Master class sword skills, High level concentration capabilities, Instant acceleration skills, Housework, cleaning, cooking skills, Gardening and exorcism skills.

Bio: The gardener, servant, and bodyguard of Lady Yuyuko Saigyouji, Youmu Konpaku is a straightforward person, and one of the most dangerous operatives in the alliance. Her swordsmanship is the most powerful in the alliance, and his her ability to accelerate and keep up speed, momentum and traverse distance, it is said she is capable of clearing out an entire city on he own if she wanted to, though she rarely shows off such skills.

She is a model swordsman, wanting to test her limits and the skills of others she fights, and often can tell much of an opponent just by crossing swords with them.


	12. CH12 - A single chance

**Authors note: Okay so as I post this the poll winner is . . . . .a tie between human magician and youkai. well damn. So I either make it one of them or put up a new poll. and a new poll seems like a waste after I asked all of you for your opinion, so one of those will be it. I guess we'll see.**

 **Oh and this chapter has one part that mentions the Levo Dextro amino acid thing mass effect had going, so let me say this. That is not how amino acids work! If it was, we'd die when eating candy because sugar has both types of amino acids in it. Hell, some types of meat have their amino acids invert from being cooked even! what I've done for this is that the basic difference is that their bodies catalyze dextro amino acids over levo ones, so eating things like gluten and sugar is fine, but other foods will provide little to no nutrition and may have bad reactions.**

 **The entire idea of alien races eating each other's food is space magic in th first place so I think this is a fine alteration. Also has reasoning for something that will come later.**

 **So that's it for my notes, please enjoy the chapter!**

A beam cut across the sky, ending thousands. Then ships came down adding forces to the battle, and quickly the tide began to turn, until the city was filled with the death cries of Turians. At some point he had gotten out from his chair and had moved to the balcony railing, but he hadn't realized when he did so, he was far too focused on the events happening before him.

"It was all planned. A ruse, no, a trick? An ambush with bait so simple than the Hierarchy couldn't see it, none of us could." Desolas finally muttered, after having been silent since it all began high above in orbit.

"It's possible, but I doubt even Yukari could organize this perfect a plan. Your government simply fell for misinformation you could not know." Keine said simply, making Flandre smile.

"Fairies being immortal helped the matter; otherwise it is possible your people would have taken Shanxi. But you didn't know, couldn't know, and now our forces are slaughtering yours in what will be a complete rout."

Desolas looked out at the city, catching a glimpse of Turian soldiers at a crossroad, firing down the road. A second later, a half dozen aliens appeared, tearing them apart with everything from weapons to blade and even claws and teeth. It took barely three seconds before all the Turians were dead, nothing more than a pile of blue and grey flesh upon the pavement. "This, this can't go on, I need to stop this. I need to help them!" Desolas muttered as he turned around to head for the door, to see Flandre sitting in her chair beside it, smirking at him as a ball of crackling red energy sparked in an open hand that she held level with her eyes.

"Oh, where do you think you are off to?" Flandre asked, her grin turning into a vile smirk that made her fangs clearly visible to Desolas. "Please remember that you are here as my guest. And that if you leave my property, your life is forfeit!"

Desolas felt his limbs grow cold as he realized that her meaning of the word guest, was more similar to prisoner. "You think I will just sit still as I watch my people get slaughtered?" Desolas asked softly, his tone firm and cold.

Flandre continued to smile and glanced over to Mamizou. "Now I see why you took a liking to this alien!"

Mamizou simply smiled and went back to sipping her tea.

"What?" Desolas finally asked in confusion.

Flandre looked back at Desolas and closed her hand, crushing the energy between her fingers. "Once your people here on Shanxi are taken out or imprisoned, the Alliance will move forward with interrogation. We will find out where all your planets are, likely within a day, and then our full might will likely begin falling on your people. Thousands if not millions will die. Blood will flood on your planets streets, and when the alliance is done with them, I would not be surprised if Marisa takes pot-shots at your home world with her new gun, the same one that killed your fleet, turning it into a pile of molten slag!" Flandre said with a smile, clearly enjoying the thought, before she levelled her gaze at Desolas. "Do you want to stop this from happening?"

Desolas looked at Flandre in horror. Her words,.. such a thing would normally sound completely absurd. But with what he had just seen and the way that Flandre was saying it so nonchalantly, as if it was completely normal, made Desolas very worried over if it could indeed be done. After a few moments he simply nodded to her.

"Good, then there are three things we must do, but first, is what you need to do. Who can order your forces to surrender?" Flandre asked with a grin as she rested her chin on the back of one of her hands.

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"How stable is the situation?" Tenshi asked as she and Iku stood at the side of the Hologram table that showed the city of Xi'an. Across from them was General Williams, who until just a short time ago had been commanding the defence of Shanxi entirely on his own.

"It appears stable now." Williams said with a hint of calm relaxation in his voice. "The reinforcements have driven all of the aliens away from our lines, and the BladeBreakers are leading them further forward. There is one thing of note however. Apparently Operative Youmu Konpaku is returning here, with a message ordering the preparation of a cleansing chamber for Element Zero contamination."

"That is worrisome." Iku said calmly as she tapped a side screen on the table.

"I agree. Williams, make sure it is prepared and have Youmu contact me as soon as she's been cleansed. Contact me if anything important happens that you cannot deal with. I need to go check in with the research team that arrived with us." Tenshi said as she turned and left the room, Iku following behind her after giving Williams a polite bow.

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"Biological notes on the invading alien race, that I am currently calling Stymphalians until their official name is discovered. This is due to their obvious avian ancestry, and what I believe to be metal in their external flesh. Current cadaver stands at nearly six and a half feet tall. Legs are double jointed reverse bend with three talon tipped toes. Similarly its hands have only two fingers and a thumb each, also with claws. Strangely shaped mandibles flank the alien's mouth, leaving small areas that are constantly open to the elements, and while they may have been protective, or offensive at point in time, I see no immediate use for such straight and rigid mandibles. It is likely they have evolved out of the need for them, but the mandibles have remained regardless." Eirin Yagokoro paused as she took a breath and reached over to a side table, picking up a large scalpel with a curved tip before going back to the alien cadaver in front of her, plunging the scalpel into its chest and slicing down to open it up. A few seconds later she had metal clamps holding open its chest and began poking around inside, blue blood squirting out occasionally as she continued her recorded monologue.

"The biology of the Stymphalians appears similar to our own. A single heart pumps blood through the body, and two lungs bring air into the blood. Strangely, because of its biology its blood has a deep blue coloration to it when contacting oxygen, though I cannot tell if this is because of biological differences or chemical. Additionally the alien's flesh is slightly tight across their body, and some places appear harder, similar to human callous, but more rigid, like scales or plates. I have taken a sample of outer and inner tissue and am currently running them through a detailed scan; perhaps it will unearth more information on these aliens. Another interesting, although likely aesthetic point of these aliens biology is the strange horns coming out the back of their head. They are rigid, yet appear to serve no purpose, as discovered by cutting many off and finding they are comprised mainly of a cartilage equivalent.

"While these aliens are physically large and have an appropriate muscle mass for a combat unit, I can see nothing in their biology that would set them apart as a dangerous species. The average Youkai or Lunarian should have no trouble with them in a physical comparison, and any human in our military will need only show appropriate skill to keep the upper hand in my opinion."

"That's good to hear." Tenshi said as she stepped into the room, much to Eirin's surprise.

Eirin nodded and leaned over, tapping the console on her nearby computer to turn off her recorder before she wiped blue blood off her hands and onto a medical robe she was wearing over her clothing. "Come to check up on us to see if we're doing our jobs?" Eirin asked with a neutral smile.

"To an extent. What can you tell me about these aliens?" Tenshi asked as Iku came into view, standing in the hallway outside of the room patiently.

"Not much currently. Bipedal. Muscle mass and build suggest they could be decent sprinters, but they honestly are not too impressive biologically. I am still waiting on a detailed notice of their chemical structure. I may have more information then." Eirin said, just as a small ping came from a module beside her computer.

"And I assume that is it? What can you tell me?"

"Let's take a look." Eirn said as she turned back to the computer and tapped the screen a few times. "Carbon based with traces of thulium in their skin, possibly as a magnetic or radiation defence. Same number of DNA spirals, and chromosomes. They appear to be dextro amino based however."

"Meaning?"

"Their bodies catalyze dextro amino acids over levo amino ones. Basically, they would have trouble digesting fruit and meats that we would eat normally. Gluten and sugars could still be catalyzed, but it would not provide the same nutrition."

"So the few we've captured alive will have to be fed candy and bread then, it could be worse." Tenshi said with a shrug. "Anything else of note?"

"Not at this time. The one cadaver is all I've had a chance to study, and until I have more whole samples I will not be able to get a clearer image of their biology."

"Very well. . . . Rinnnosuke and Sanae have set up in the bases firing range, correct?" Tenshi asked as she turned to the door and stopped just shy of it.

"Yes. They are there testing alien weapon and armour against our own. There were far more instances of intact alien weapons and armour waiting for us than there were whole cadavers. They should have more for you."

"Thank you. If you find anything immediately useful please send it to Iku." Tenshi said as she left the room, Iku following behind her.

"You were hoping for more, were you?" Iku asked after a minute of walking.

"Yes I was. These are aliens. I hoped we'd find some crucial weakness, like being allergic to water considering their temperament. But instead they are carbon based and can even eat our food to an extent!"

"It does feel rather lackluster. At least their blood isn't red." Iku said with a small snicker.

"A small mercy, one we won't give back to the aliens, no matter what our people or, the aliens, call themselves." Tenshi said as she tapped a keypad beside a door and watched it slid open, assaulting her and Iku's ears with a strange repeating sound, like classic chemical arms fire, twenty old style pistols firing consecutively.

The firing range was designed like almost every alliance range. A large area at the back with lockers for personal effects, split off booths with tables that looked down the range, and target dummies at the far end, with controls on the table to change lanes distance. Tables had been set up in the area in front of the lockers, and many of the dividers between firing lanes had been taken down, making the room feel far more open.

At the table, in front of an array of strange, fragile looking alien weapons stood Rinnosuke Morichika, one of the alliances most skilled and intelligent weapon experts. And probably the only person who was capable of making a Hakkero out of spare parts in sixty seconds. He was a half-Youkai with white hair, and in his simple dark blue pants and white shirt he looked imposing and strangely professional. He wore a scowl on his face as he put down an alien weapon, a string of steam coming out the end of it.

Further in the room, standing beside one of the firing dummies was Sanae Kochiya. She was wearing the R&D bodysuit she had designed, and seemed to wear exclusively, and had her long green hair tied into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. She appeared to be fixing a suit of silver armour onto a dummy. It was clearly an alien suit of armour, and she scowled and grimaced as she touched pieces of it, clearly uncomfortable.

"It's ready!" Sanae suddenly said as she ran down the firing lanes over to Rinnosuke, just as he picked up a long alien weapon with what Tenshi assumed was a scope of some sort. He aimed it down range from the table where he stood, grimaced and pulled the trigger. A sharp and strange crack echoed in the room alongside a faint blue flash from the guns barrel, and while fast, Tenshi caught sight of a small fleck leave the barrel, just before it hit the dummy. Another three shots were fired before Rinnosuke abruptly dropped the weapon unceremoniously onto the table, cringing.

"So, I assume the alien weapons still work then." Tenshi said as she walked up to the table in the room, glancing over the alien weapons. All of them had sleek designs, but something looked odd about them, as if they had to many seams for their size.

"They work, well enough, I suppose." Rinnosuke said as Sanae ran back over to the dummy and began unhooking the alien armour from it. "You want the quick version of weapons and armour, or the combined version?"

"Combined I think. What can you tell me about it, how does it stack up to our own equipment?"

"Their weapons and armour are terrible!" Sanae said as she came over and dropped the alien chest plate on the table.

Rinnosuke nodded in agreement. "The alien weapons, regardless of whether it is a sniper rifle, assault rifle or pistol, fire metal pellets roughly the size of a grain of sand at high speed by use of mass altered acceleration in an element Zero field. A block of metal inside the weapon, similar to an ingot, is used as the ammunition. It gets pieces shaved off as needed and then the grains are fired at far less than their regular weight, giving them substantially more striking power than their size would suggest."

"Sounds pretty dangerous then." Iku commented calmly.

"Yeah, except for the designs of their weapons are terribly shoddy, and have a built in critical distance to them. After a certain distance, they lose speed, and therefor power and accuracy." Sanae said as she hit her fist to the alien breastplate. "Their armour is a composite metal alloy, similar to our own basic armours, but their armour is lacking and cannot take a large number of rounds, see here? The three rounds Kourin fired all stuck within an inch of each other, and the metal between them is cracked and warped now. Their armour is not made as their main protection!"

Tenshi looked at the armour for a moment and then looked at Sanae. "Any race designs protection based on what they need protection from. So what is their armour for then?"

"It's a backup." Sanae said with a sigh. "Their armour is outfitted with an element zero field that creates a barrier that blocks kinetic objects moving at or above a specific motion threshold. Simply put, bullets get stopped by a shield, but a sword swing gets ignored by the shield and goes right into their armour, and through most of it depending on who's swinging."

"How strong is this barrier?" Tenshi asked immediately.

"It varies on the weapon used against it and the amount of fire it take at one time." Sanae said with a shiver. "We tested three of them, one with their weapons, two with our own. Alien weapons are blocked for anywhere from two to forty shots depending on velocity and volume, and their shields do not block our lasers at all. Beams are blocked for up to a full second depending on intensity, and pulse cannons are only partially blocked."

"So our weapons can break them easily enough." Tenshi said with a nod. "How much danger are our own people in for?"

"Graze shielding will block all of their attacks." Rinnosuke said with a sigh. "However, as most of our personal armour, for those that wear it, is ablative in nature and made to guard against lasers and beams, it will likely shatter in pieces when stuck by the alien rounds in number. Their rounds are very capable of piercing skin with ease as well. Only youkai such as Oni, those with naturally magically enhanced skin toughness, will be able to shrug off shots directly to their body. Shots to the head will prove fatal instantly for those without such skin, I believe."

"So our weapons completely counter the others because they weren't designed for the other." Iku said simply.

"Yes, there is however one good thing." Rinnosuke said as he picked up an alien sniper rifle and flicked a switch, the rifle suddenly shifting into itself, folding down to a third its full size before he put it to its full size again. "The alien weapons all fold up to some extent to save space. In some circumstance I'd say it is useful, but because of how these weapons are designed and how their fire," Rinnosuke stopped, held the rifle by the barrel and swung down against the table, the rifle shattering into pieces as it struck the table. Pieces of casing went everywhere, internal parts were bent and even the barrel bent around Rinnosuke's hand a bit. "These alien weapons are fragile because of their design. Melee attacks, or any beam, laser or pulse hitting them will ruin them immediately, provided they are hit."

"I see. That may be useful. What about contamination? You said the weapons run off element zero fields, so it must have some inside of it, right?"

"Yes, but it is a small amount, and the risk of contamination is minor." Rinnosuke said as he grabbed a spray bottle and began covering the broken weapon pieces in bubbly orange foam. "Better to be careful though. Touching the weapons will not cause a reaction to our people, but firing the weapons creates the element zero fields, so it would be best for our people to not fire them. At the least it will make people uncomfortable, at worst, contamination could occur from repeatedly firing these weapons."

"Ugh, weapons that will cause contamination if used, great. At least there won't be the need to use them with our weapons not needing reloading." Tenshi said with a sigh of relief.

"Actually, neither do these alien weapons." Rinnosuke said, making Tenshi look at him with a glare that said, please tell me you are joking. "They are fed by the block of metal inside them, and I figure they'd get numerous days of use before the block was shaved to nothing. They have to worry about their weapons overheating due to their flimsy design and lack of efficient cooling technology, but not running out of ammunition unless they are fighting constantly for days on end."

"So they won't run out of ammunition before we beat them into the dirt, great. Keep me posted if you discover anything else of value." Tenshi said as she left the room with Iku in tow, only for her communicator to beep a second later. "Yes, Williams?"

"Lady Scarlet has contacted us. She is wishing to speak to you." Williams's voice came over the comms, stopping Tenshi dead in her tracks.

"Has Flandre been seen in the city at all since the invasion began?"

"No, she's been at the manor with Keine and the city's children. There has been very little fighting around it as well."

" . . . . Patch her through." Tenshi said as she waited a moment until a telling click told her she was connected. "Flandre, what do you want?"

Flandre let out a sadistic giggle that made Tenshi shiver. "I have a favor to ask of you. I would like you to patch a signal from my manor to Byakurens ship in orbit, to act as an amplifier."

"For what purpose?"

"I'm going to contact the government of the alien alliance these attacking aliens are a part of!"

Tenshi paused for a moment as she tried to comprehend Flanders words, and settled for one thing in reply. "WHAT!?"

"Hmm, maybe I should explain-."

"Please do, before I come over there and demand answers in person!"

"Calm down. I,acquired, a group of aliens, ones that Mamizou was shadowing. Their leader wants me to let them contact their government to plead for them to send an envoy to broker peace between us."

"Are you forgetting that they attacked us first? They won't want peace, not after we're done with them!"

"No I mean. . . . Okay, look, I'm sending you some data, look it over!"

Tenshi looked down at her wristComm and scanned it with her eyes as line after line of data surged across it. "These aliens . . . have a governing structure similar to our own then, and only one of their species is attacking us. The others don't know?"

"The alien that gave me this information doesn't seem to think so. His species is their government's military arm, and seem to be acting alone."

"Fine, I'll get Williams to set up a patch in a moment. How much more information on these aliens do you have?"

"It's still being downloaded off the alien's multi-tool. Takes a while though, probably won't be done till the morning. If the aliens can be convinced to surrender, will you allow it?"

" . . . . Yes, if they surrender honesty and do not use it as a way to sneak attack our people, why?"

"Because Mamizou volunteered to sneak into their camp and give them a chance to surrender."

". . . The Red eyes are likely there by now."

"Oh. Can they be called off in time?" Flandre asked neutrally.

Tenshi waited a second and then sighed. "Maybe."

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A quick slip of a blade, the gurgle of pain and blood flowing out of a throat, and the heavy slump of a lifeless body as it fell to the ground. Red Eyes were experts at infiltration, assassination and terror tactics, and Reisen was one of, if not the, best.

She never had many chances to utilize her training in Gensokyo, but once the border fell and the alliance was created, she had an incalculable number of chances, all of them against those groups that refused the idea of the alliance. Once they had been dealt with though, there was no need again.

Now though, now she was fighting real aliens! Aliens intent on hurting her friends and family, aliens who were here to invade, enslave, or simply to destroy them. Aliens that still bled when she slit their throats or put lasers in their backs. though they bled blue of all colors. Seriously, why blue?

It didn't matter though. The fights at the alliances creation had been stealth ops, not like this. She was a predator on a world of prey in the middle of a war zone, and it made her blood boil like when she was part of the lunar civil war.

Jumping out from behind a tree she ran up behind an alien that was patrolling. It didn't hear her coming, and her blade went into its back and up to its head in one silent motion. Before its body fell to the ground she was already on the move, advancing on the alien camp outside of the city.

Inside the city she had killed easily a hundred different aliens, all individuals of groups. The singular soldiers died by her blades and guns, while those around them were left alive in horror, catching the barest glimpses of her when she allowed it. They already were being pushed back by the BladeBreakers, and she added to that horror with insane abandon.

And she hadn't even used her eyes yet!

That needed to change!

The alien camp was set up outside of the forest that surrounded Xi'an. It was organized in cascading half circles coming away from the ship that sat on the grass at the end, and parallel to it was a line of fighter craft and armored vehicles.

At least it had been until the artillery strikes devastated the land and camp. Tents were turned to scraps of cloth, vehicles were devastated wrecks, and fight craft had been turned to slag. All over the base were bodies of aliens, crisp and smoking from a recent barrage of electrical magic. Even the cruiser parked on the grass had its armour torn and melted in many placed from the artillery strikes.

Then the sky whistled in a way that made Reisens blood shiver in anticipation. Electrical cluster rounds crashed all across the camp. Tents and aliens within them were fried in an instant, and the few vehicles that were not already wrecks began to smoke as electricity coursed through them. Most of the rounds struck the open area of the airfield and the cruiser however their electrical surges coursed across the cruisers plating, causing some random placed to light aflame, and outer lights to explode at random.

After a few seconds the barrage stopped, and aliens all across the camp began scurrying around like headless fowl, unsure of what to do first. Dozens were lying dead; fires were interspace all across the camp, lit from the electricity lighting flammable substances, and their camp itself was in shambles with only a handful of gun turrets still standing at uneven intervals around the camps perimeter.

It was the perfect time to break in and sow even more chaos among them!

Climbing up a tree Reisen positioned herself on a bough overlooking the whole alien camp and closed her eyes, focused her power then opened them, her eyes now glowing a deep bright red. It was said by some people that looking in the eyes of a moon rabbit caused insanity just as fast as looking upon a true blood moon, but that was not totally accurate. It was just as fast, but the rabbit themselves had to have control over the ability and be actively using it. Just looking at one did not cause insanity.

But looking in her general direction when her eyes were glowing with power most certainly would, and a pair of red glowing dots in a tree was a wonderful way to attract attention.

Almost immediately a new chorus of screams, yells and gunfire erupted within the camp. Aliens turned on each other, began seeing hallucinations, and other similar insanities, making the rest of the camp go back into high alert only for its own people to then become even more erratic and confused as their fellows rage around them.

Resien blinked hard, returning her eyes to normal as she looked over at the alien cruiser, thinking it would be a perfect place to search for commanding officers, until a line of explosions cut across its entire length, spitting fire all over the camp and making over half the functional lights across the ships stop being functional. The camp became significantly darker because of it, and darkness amplified fear.

"This is Red seven to all other Red Eyes'. Enemy cruiser is defunct, and nonoperational. The crew onboard is a skeleton crew who was, up until a couple moments ago, trying to hardwire some systems together. Reason unknown."

Resien tapped her earpiece. "Red Seven, this is Red one. A line of explosions just went across the cruisers length. Your work?"

"Possibly. I killed some birds and blew apart a junction they were working on. Might have done it, but it's hard to say without knowing how they wire their tech."

"Have you tried accessing a computer?"

"Yeah, it's a no go. Alien languages and systems, my wristComp couldn't get into them."

"Understood. The alien camp is chaotic, so I'll be searching for commanding officers, be careful on your way out." Reisen said as she closed the line and dropped from the tree, rushing into the alien camp with the silence of a light breeze.

While the camp was chaotic, it was calmer near one edge. Normally she'd chalk it up to the range of her eyes, but numerous aliens came in and out of one large tent, and all of them seemed to be trying to take control of the situation.

Weaving in between tents, behind alien's backs, and even over them in some cases, Resien made it to the back of the tent where it seemed likely a commander was hiding. Carefully looking at the backside of the tent she grinned and pulled out her blades, slicing pieces off of the tent and crawling through to find herself under a table, and three pairs of legs in the centre of the tent around another table.

The three aliens squawked among each other for a few moments, and then, finally, two of them left, leaving the one alien alone. She took a short step forward, ready to spring out of her hiding place and strike, and would have, until her comms were suddenly pinged.

"Reisen, where are you?" Asked Tenshi over the comms.

"About to kill an alien commander, why?"

"There's been a . . . . Slight change of plans. Send the location to me, then leave the alien camp."

Resien sent her coordinated and then growled lightly under her breath. "Why am I doing this? Is there something you need or-.."

"Flandre, Kiene and Mamizou want to try to make the aliens surrender, Mamizou is on her way to your location now. If she fails I'll tell you, and you can go right back and the kill the alien leadership."

"I don't like this. Do you really think they will surrender?" Resien asked as she crawled back out of the tent and crouched down behind a pile of metal boxes, many of them half melted and pitted with holes.

"Flandre and Keine seem to think it's possible, so I'm willing to give them the chance. If Mamizou fails however-," Tenshi stopped for a few moments, leaving the line silent before continuing, her tone cold. "–then I want you to kill their leadership and any others you please before giving Mokou more firing coordinates. Devastate these alien forces, and leave none alive. If they refuse to surrender now, the alliance will exterminate them, and move onto their home world!"

Reisen was quiet for a moment, and then nodded to herself. "I can live with that arrangement. One chance, or complete annihilation." Reisen said as she noticed a Tanuki go into the tent the same way she had. "I wonder what these aliens will decide?"

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Septimus Oraka heaved a pained sigh as he watched two of his subordinates leave the tent.

Subordinates, he had had them for a long while, but never so many of them at once. With the loss of their fleet high in orbit, for what else could make the entire fleet go quiet completely, and the loss of other commanders, captains and squad leaders from alien artillery bombardment, there were barely any leaders left in their forces.

The hierarchy had strict lines of succession which meant when someone died it was well known who would replace them. The problem was that so many people were dying so fast, they could not keep tabs on all of them. Just keeping orders moving between groups, keeping the forces in the alien city notified, and the wounded kept care of, was taxing all of their remaining power.

Septimus Orka had become the highest ranking general among the Turian forces on, or around this entire planet. He had become the most powerful Turian on the planet by the fact that he lived while others died.

And, oh, did they die!

Thousands of Turians had already lost their lives, the wounded outnumbering the combat ready, and the dead outnumbering them both.

Lasers that ignored armour and left searing holes.

Beams that could cut through a Jiris in seconds, slicing any between in half.

Blasts of energy that electrified and melted all they contacted.

Lights that would ignore shielding and barriers. electrocuting, bursting into flame and ice. Turning those that they touched to stone, incinerating them, driving them mad.

Artillery that let loose waves of electricity, flaring cloth, destroying machinery and devastating infantry.

And that was just these aliens' weapons, to say nothing of their own physical capabilities. Aliens that could fly seemingly at will, and out maneuver and beat down elite Turian soldiers was a terrifying prospect.

"These aliens, when they are done with us, will they attack council space? Will they attack Palaven?" Septimus muttered to himself in fear and worry. It was possible, more than possible really. What were now his forces were on the defensive, being pushed back more and more every hour. It was the dark of night, and he wouldn't be surprised if the aliens had his forces out of the city before dawn. "Those aliens fight well in the dark as well. It's like they can see in any light." Septimus said with another heavy sigh as his claws clenched against the table, putting marks in it.

"Only some of us can see in the dark." came a new, feminine voice that Septimus did not recognize.

Septimus turned around and drew his pistol in one motion, glancing around for the voice's owner, but found no one in his sight. Was he hearing things now?

"If you think you are hearing things, you are not." came the feminine voice again. Then a second later a furry animal came out from under the table, and then jumped backwards onto it without making a sound. A very agile creature indeed!

Septimus looked at the animal, his mind racing with possibilities, all of them seemingly impossible. "A-are you, what just spoke?"

For a moment nothing happened, then the animal pawed at its ear, and its mouth opened slightly. "I am."

Septimus looked at the animal and realize he had been pointing his gun at it, and shifted it to his side, but did not let go of it. "That's not possible. The stress of the situation must be getting to me."

"It is not." The animal said, seemingly smiling at him like an Asari would. "Is my talking to you so strange when our weaponry is also alien to you? Or is it my form that makes you unwilling to believe?"

". . . Yes, animals don't talk, not intelligently. You're merely a hallucination brought on by stress and worry.

"I see. Then perhaps my main form will garner more trust for your senses."

"I doubt that-." Septimus began to say, until he saw the animal before him begin to change. Its body shifted, becoming tall, its fur disappeared across its entire length except for its head and tail, and mounds of flesh appeared on its chest. It only took a couple seconds, and by the time it was done, the alien woman was sitting on the table before him, legs crossed, and hair cascading over her chest. Septimus had read the few reports that explained the aliens shape and looks, claiming them to look Asari like, but he wasn't prepared for just how similar they looked.

"Your mouth is open, might want to close it unless you want to invite flies." The woman said. Septimus had no idea what the reference itself was to, but understood the meaning behind it and closed his mouth.

If only for a moment before speaking. "You are one of those aliens then?"

"You are the aliens here. This is our planet after all, yes?"

"Why are you here?" Septimus asked as he leveled his pistol at the alien woman, ignoring her question, true as it was.

The woman smiled and leaned a bit back, using her arms on the table as a brace. "My name is Mamizou Futatsuiwa, and I am here to deliver you a message!"

" . . . . From whom?"

"Our General. They have acquired one of your people's wrist computer devices, and from it have gleaned the location of many of your planets, as well as the location of your coalition government that you call the Citadel Council. They will soon contact them, with the hopes of organizing a cease fire and an end to hostilities."

"I fail to see how..-"

"If your government does not agree to the ceasefire, the alliance will finish off all of your kind on Shanxi, if it has not done so by that time, and will then move ahead to begin assaulting your government's controlled space. Individually taking over planets would be to slow though, and planet wide sieges are pointless to us." Mamizou said as she pulled some form of data pad out of her hair and flicked it on. It showed the Turian fleet, along with the alliance one, just moments before one ship disappeared, reappeared, and then annihilated the whole fleet with a massive laser. "Imagine what that weapon could do to a planet."

"Your people would kill entire planets! That's clearly a weapon of mass destruction! Using such weapons on any garden world is illegal under Citadel law and-.."

"And we are not part of your law! Your people have attacked us, and we do not take such things lying down. My people, the alliance, will give your government one single chance to stop this before it escalate and ends with total war!" Mamizou paused for a moment as she hid the datapad again. "That still leaves all of your kind here on Shanxi, however. The leader of our defences has allowed you one chance to surrender, both for your own sakes, and for ours."

"For what purpose." Septimus asked grimly. Normally he would not take such threats, no Turian would. But the video, as surprising as it was, matched the beam he had seen from the surface. And these aliens had been pushing his forces back constantly. His people didn't even have an alien body to autopsy. The idea of them being able to annihilate his forces seemed more and more likely by the second.

"The purpose is twofold. Those that remain of your people here get to live, and their stories of what we are capable of will help give proof to our threats to your government."

"You want us to be proof that you can do what you say you can?" Septimus asked carefully.

"Yes. In return, you get to live and will be returned to your people with all your effects and currently attached limbs…, attached. You will also be given basic rights as prisoners of war."

"What if we refuse and then later decide to surrender?"

"Then you die. You get one chance, and if it is squandered then your people will be mercilessly dealt with."

"So we get one chance . . . when?" Septimus asked nervously, hoping that he would have to make such a decision.

"Now. You must decide now!" Mamizou said as she shifted back into her Tanuki form and smiled at him. "If your forces are still fighting one hour from now, you all will never leave this planet alive, that I can guarantee. Make your decision quickly." She said as she jumped down from the table and ran under one, disappearing as quickly as she came.

Septimus stood for what felt like an eternity before looking down, and realizing that he still had his gun up. His arm was shaking incessantly, as if that one alien had the power to undo him. Considering that shapeshifting had just been done right in front of him, he felt all the weaker as he looked up from his arm and realized what had just happened. Realized the choice he now had to make. "Oh, spirits."

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Ablative armours – Most personal armour in the Alliance is a combination of kinetic padding and ablative scaling designed to stop or mitigate the damage from beams and lasers. When lasers or beams strike ablative pieces of armor they melt in layers, transferring heat across their entire section instead of one small spot. It is a simple, yet effective, armour for the small percentage of alliance forces that utilize them. Roughly 28 percent.

Operative Bio – Rinnosuke

Name: Rinnosuke Morichika

Race: Half Youkai

Gender: Male

Age: exact age unknown. Suspected to be well over 300.

Power rank: E

Class: 1

Class Specifics: Can work alongside nearly anyone and command others well. Has distaste for leading combat directly however and prefers to lead from behind and coordinate actions.

Powers: identification – can identify anything by touching. Understanding the intent of its design, its build and how it is operated.

Capabilities/skills: cleaning. Business sense. Mechanic intuition. Mechanical skills. Salvaging skill. social skills. scientific conceptualization skills

Bio: a Half youkai originally from Gensokyo, Rinnosuke Morichika ran a used goods store that had limited success, his true income coming from valuing items from the outside. When the border broke he was important in discoing what outside technology did what, and teaching others from Gensokyo how to deal with them.

He was a major player in the invention of the MAGTECH reactor, being responsible for designing a way to mass produce engine grade Hakkero and helping design several weapons still in use.

Despite being well known in Gensokyo, no one knows his actual age, or who his parents were. The only thing know about his past is that his family was friends with the Kirisame before they all, except for Marisa, passed on.

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Operative Bio – Eirin

Name: Eirin Yagokoro

Race: Lunarian (immortal)

Gender: Female

Age: Immortal and un-aging. Looks in mid-thirties to early forties. Is suggested to be easily over 4000 years old, but this is unconfirmed.

Power rank: B

Class: 2

Class Specifics: works best around others of similar skillsets, or when there is no choice. Dislikes having to work with others in situations where any knowledge difference makes thing difficult for both parties.

Powers: none.

Capabilities/skills: Genius level intellect. Biological knowledge, medical knowledge, chemical, knowledge.

Bio: impossibly intelligent, and the head of alliance R&D (unofficially), Eirin is one of the greatest minds alive and pioneered many technologies that have helped the alliance. Before the time of the alliance she worked as Kaguya's retainer and the lunar capitols alchemist and doctor. Until she created the Hourai elixir at Kaguya's behest, getting them both banished in the process.

when banished they moved to Gensokyo where Eirin opened a clinic to use her medical prowess to help the people of Gensokyo, be they human or youkai, and was well known and loved.

She does not hold grudges against the lunar capitol, or its people, or even against Mokou who despise kaguya, and is a very understanding person. She does however value knowledge and respect for a person's biology and their own opinion. if someone wants something done to their own body she has nothing against it, but is someone else would alter someone's body without their permission she hates it, the worse the alteration the more the hates it.

When not working with R&D or as an operative, Eirin creates and tests drugs and pharmaceuticals for all the alliance, continuing to use her medical knowledge for everyone's betterment.


	13. CH13 - Negotiations

Spartacus, the Turian Councillor for the Hierarchy in citadel space and the citadel council, was not a happy Turian as he stormed down the halls of the citadel tower. He had been called by his fellow councillors just a bare hour before, and not in a way that was pleasant.

But in truth, that was not what angered him. what angered him was that he had been trying to do something silently for nearing six days, and that he had an unsettling feeling this summons was about to make all his work worthless.

The citadel council met in the top most floor of the citadel tower. Most people only knew of the main lobby there, comprised of the hall where matters were publicly discussed, and the lofts where those who wished to could watch such proceedings. In truth, there were many other side rooms that existed as well, never seen by the common people, and used solely by the citadel councillors.

Entering one such room, the smallest and most comfortable, Spartacus locked the door behind him and took a seat on a comfy chair across from the other two councillors.

Tevos, the Asari councillor was sitting on a long couch looking weary and worried, nervous and angry. It was a strange sight considering how often she tried to keep the neutral expression she liked to use when compromising.

Valern, the Salarian conciliar in comparison was busily typing away on his Omni tool while muttering under his breath, possibly talking to someone. While it was not as visible, Spartacus could tell that something had unnerved Valern as well, though with how quickly he was typing and talking it was difficult to tell if it was true nerves or interest.

Something had happened, something major.

"I apologize for my late arrival. I was at C-Sec speaking with Executor Pallin." Spartacus said as he got comfortable in his chair, waiting for Tevos or Valern, more likely Tevos, to tell him why this meeting was called so suddenly. Neither Tevos or valern looked directly at Spartacus, nor said anything, and after a moment of this Spartacus had had enough. "Why was this meeting called and what was so important?"

"We have a . . . situation that we are curious if you are aware of." Valern finally said as he lowered his Omnitool and looked at Spartacus.

"First though, is this." Tevos said as she brought up her own Omnitool and began tapping at it. "Roughly two hours ago we received this transmission through unencrypted channels to Citadel control. I think it would be better for you to hear it yourself."

" _My name is Desolas Arterius of the Turian hierarchy. I am sending this message in the hopes it will reach the citadel council ,and they will be able to fix the situation that the hierarchy has put itself in. Many days ago, the Turian Cruiser, Hunters Pride, fired upon an unknown alien vessel attempting to access an inactive mass relay. The ship was destroyed, and after contacting the hierarchy, the Hunters Pride was destroyed by other ships of this unknown races. The hierarchy acted with extreme prejudice and went through, what was until just recently, an inactive relay were these alien ships had come from. Finding what was initially believed to be this new race's home planet, the Hierarchy attacked, intent on defeating and turning this race into a client race to bring to the citadel."_

There was a pause in the recording, and what sounded like background noise of talking that could not quiet be heard, then Desolas's voice came back, sounding worse than before.

" _The situation did not unfold how our generals hoped. These aliens have weaponry we are unable to explain. They destroyed our fleet, and are pushing our forces back across their planet. In a matter of days we will likely all be dead unless we surrender before then. I was captured by these aliens, and given one chance to send this message to the citadel. An envoy must be sent to discuss an end to this conflict. If it is not, I truly believe that these aliens will destroy all of us, and move onto complete total war against the citadel. It is something they speak fondly of. Please, send an envoy and convince these aliens to speak of peace; convince the hierarchy to stop this!"_

The room was quiet for many moments as Tevos and Valern simply looked at Spartacus, trying to gauge his reaction. After a few moments, much to their surprise, Spartacus began chuckling to himself.

"I fail to see what about this situation is funny, Spartacus." Tevos said in a worried tone.

"I apologize." Spartacus said with a shake of his head. "It is just now that I realize what I had been missing."

"Missing?" Valern asked in confusion, something he hated.

"Yes. For many days now, I have been unable to contact the hierarchy's military, the Primarch, or any general. I've tried numerous times in as many ways I could think of. That is why I had gone to speak to Pallin, to see if he was having the same problem. He has been. Now it makes sense though, the Primarch must have enacted a military block on all communication to stop anyone from interfering with the attack on these new aliens."

"I see. So you were not aware of the situation?" Valern asked incredulously.

"No, I was not." Spartacus said with a sigh. "The Primarchs reaction however, makes sense to me. Stopping this war will require the citadels full attention, not just saying stop."

"And why is that?" Tevos asked curiously.

"If what Arterius says is true, and the Hunters Pride was indeed destroyed by these aliens, likely as retaliation, the Primarch himself would be invested in the war. His daughter served on the Hunter's Pride, as did a many generals children, it was a well-respected post."

"I see. That will complicate matters. If nothing else the Primarch will argue for war regardless of what we say." Tevos said with a sigh. "I recall the name of the one who sent the message, Desolas Arterius, his name sounds familiar to me."

"Yes, he is an up and coming ship captain who is well respected, and his brother is a cabal whose name was recently put on the potential spectre list." Valern said quickly. "I am more worried about what he said though, about these new aliens destroying the entire Turian fleet! That is not something many would say lightly."

"I agree, it either means they have a very large fleet that took losses as well, or that they used weapons of mass destruction. Neither option is good." Spartacus said with a sigh.

"Then we must stop this before it becomes too large." Tevos said carefully. "We need to fix this and have this new race become an associate race, especially if they are as dangerous as we are led to believe!"

"I agree. If these aliens have new technology, it would be wise to bring them under our control where they will not hurt themselves." Valern agreed as he and Tevos then looked to Spartacus, waiting for his agreement.

Spartacus let out a sigh. He didn't like the way Tevos and Valern worded it. He did not fully believe that an entire Turian fleet could be destroyed, but he did not like the idea that a race that could give a Turian captain pause. "I agree, if for no other reason than to stop this from escalating further."

"Good. The message came with coordinates to the alien world. I suggest we sent an Asari diplomatic team, sending any group with Turians may, agitate this new race." Tevos suggested, getting an immediate nod from Valern, and a slower nod from Spartacus. "Good, then I shall organize the envoy's that will be sent. They shall depart within the day and should, if this information is correct, reach the alien world in a day."

"This is good. We should also send some ships to go and, convince the Primarch that he has acted wrongly." Valern suggested, making Spartacus grin.

"I will go with this fleet. I am the Turian councillor, and to be completely blocked like this is insulting to my position. The Primarch will not hear the last of this, and I will make sure those responsible and brought to light, and lose their positions for this breach of protocol!"

"Very well then," Tevos said, shifting a bit away from Spartacus as he spoke. She hadn't seen him so, angered in quite a while.

"Then it's decided. There is much still to decide and prepare for, but who will you send?" Valern asked inquisitively.

"Matriarch Benezia."

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Desolas was led out of the room he had been given to sleep in and down the halls of the manor by Mei, who despite having been asked a question was completely silent as she walked. Or floated as it were.

After a couple minutes thy arrived at the manor's foyer, comely empty and still lit the exact same way it had been when Desolas first entered it.

"My lady shall arrive in a few moments. Please wait here." Mei then said as she turned and fluttered off, leaving Desolas with his thoughts.

Glancing around Desolas found a bench against a wall and sat down, letting out a heavy, uncertain sigh. He had helped these aliens discover who their leader on the planet likely was, but in turn had been allowed to send a message entirely of his own creation to the citadel council, and with luck they would send an envoy, and end this failure of a war.

Just trying to work the alien technology to contact the citadels had been a chore, one that had lasted an entire night, and it had tired him out to such a surprising amount that he had slept for a whole half day. The rest of that day had been spent speaking with Flandre, and then another night had come and went.

He had spent two nights in this strange building, at the behest and mercy, of an alien who seemed both absurdly strong, and insanely cunning and childish all at the same time. It was a wonder he and his people still lived.

Apparently the rest of the Hierarchy's forces on the planet had surrendered in the night while he was trying to communicate with the citadel, so his people were no longer being killed, but he still worried. If the envoy from the citadel did not arrive soon . . . . He didn't want to think of the possibilities, but most of them were bad.

A scratching of wood drew Desolas's attention up from the floor to the stairs, where he quickly saw the form of a small alien, a child, attempting to hide behind the railings. He had seen them on occasion in the building, as it was apparently being used as a safe house for the children of the city, but hadn't realized how similar and yet different they looked.

The child had dark fur on its head that was apparently called hair, and looked at Desolas with a mix of curiosity, fear and wonder. After another moment he then realized the child was the same one he had met in the city, the same one his brother had tried to take prisoner. He felt conflicted, did he apologize? Try to talk to it? He didn't know its name, or even its gender, and couldn't tell considering its size. Did he just ignore it then? Act like he hadn't seen it?

"Your one of those A- A, Areeins, right?" the child asked as he came out from behind the railing, as if coming out of a hiding spot.

Desolas looked at the child, then realizing that mispronunciation apparently was not something that just Turian children dealt with, and slowly nodded to the child. "I am. My name is Desolas Arterius."

The child took a step towards Desolas and looked at him for a moment. "My name is, Kay deen, orenko!" He said with difficulty, while looking very proud with himself. "You have a name, are not a , a . . . copy?"

"A, copy?"

"Yeah! Some of the others said they saw others like you out a window days ago. They said you all looked the same!"

"Ah. No, we're not clones." Desolas said as he realized what the child was going for.

"But you all rook the-.."

"Kaidan!" Both Kaidan and Desolas look up to See Keine walking over, a scowl on her face. "What did I say about wandering off, young man?!"

"B-but I saw the areein!"

"No but's! Until they leave Shanxi classes are here, and its time for class, so back to the classroom with you!"

"But-"

Kiene's hair suddenly changed from blue to green, and her horns grew out the sides of her head. Kaidan suddenly looked horrified and scampered off without a word. "I am sorry you had to see that." Keine said as her hair returned to its normal coloration and her horns disappeared as if they had never existed.

"No, its fine. . . .That child, was he-…"

"The same one you and your compatriots tried to kidnap and study, yes." Keine said with a hint of venom in her tone that made Desolas unconsciously sit further back on the bench.

"I, uh. . . I'm surprised he approached me then." Desolas choked out, unsure of what else to say. When it happened it had made sense, but now the idea of kidnapping a child to study seemed just wrong.

"Kaidan is an adventurous one, and is showing an affinity for magic at such a young age. It makes him think he can do things others would not try. It is both good and bad, honestly. But I must get back to my class. Good luck."

"Good luck? With what?" Desolas asked as keened walked up the stairs of the foyer.

A moment later Flandre appeared at the top of the stairs. Instead of the sleek and revealing dress she had been wearing, she now wore clothing that was far more conservative, and dangerous looking. Dark red pants covered her legs, the area below her left knee uncovered, as if part of the pants had been torn off. Over her upper body she wore a simple bright red shirt with buttons on the front and no sleeves. It would have looked common, if not for the heavy looking boots over her feet, and the metal plated glove that covered her left hand. It was fingerless, but went from her hand all the way up to her shoulder, the metal plates looking like heavy segmented scales of a great beast, dark red and reflecting everything around them, including darkness itself. Her hair was also tied up on the left side, and for some reason it unnerved Desolas, though he was unsure why.

"Ah, you're here, good. I was worried I'd have to hunt you down!" Flandre said, causing Desolas to shiver.

"Um, what exactly do you need from me? My people have surrendered. Shouldn't I be brought to and kept with them?" Desolas asked, wondering why he was still begin treated similar to a "guest" and not a POW.

"You will be, but there is something we need from you first. Information on the envoys your citadel is likely to send." Flandre said as she came down the stairs and stopped at the door, taking a strange spike out of a holder by the door and opening it into some kind of circular shading apparatus. "Follow me." She added as she opened the door, warm light streaming into the room as she walked out with umbrella overhead.

Desoalas did as he was asked and followed Flandre out of the building. For a moment the light blinded him, having gotten use to the dim light within the building, but after a second his eyes adjusted. A bright blue sky was overhead, not a cloud in the sky. No noise of gunfire, fires, or screaming could be heard, and instead Desolas only heard what he could only imagine was the low mumble of people doing things, like the sound when passing by a ward on the citadel.

Leaving the manors walls Desolas saw no one in the streets, but that changed after they changed street twice, getting a decent distance away from the manor. The street they had come to was one that Desolas recognized, a street where there had been a barrier, and one of the massive guns his people had taken to calling overkill guns. Now, there was no barrier, not even a scrap of one, and the overkill gun was further down the street, being lifted onto a massive flat sheet of metal by what looked like a half dozen people with wings coming out of their backs!

Other people on the street were sweeping the street picking up debris, and even working together to pull apart a broken building piece by piece. It was an impressive sight, but was very strange. There were no vehicles anywhere besides for the one that was attached to the plate that now held the overkill gun. Where were all the vehicles?

"Stay close." Flandre said under her breath.

Desolas was about to ask why, until he glanced around and saw that people were now looking in their direction. The crowd ahead of them parted for Flandre effortlessly, but Desolas notice many of the people were looking not at Flandre, but at him. Some looked with curiosity or whimsy, while others glared at him with hate and malice. He even saw one person gripping a pair of short knives, their hands twitching as they followed Desolas's movements.

"Right. . . . . . Your people, do you not use vehicles?" Desolas asked as they continued down the street, hoping to change the subject away from the glares directed at him.

"We do." Flandre answered as they turned down the street the overkill gun was parked adjacent to. "We mainly use vehicles for transport of goods, services and munitions, like the Vajra here." Flandre said as she gestured to the gun."

"What about people?"

"On some planets, especially the home world. Shanxi is comprised of only the one city however, so there is no need for mass transport when people can just walk or fly to where they want to go." Flandre explained as thy turned down another, even wider road that appeared to be completely devoid of damage. The glass on buildings was unscarred, the roads covered in nothing but boot scuffs and old depressions in the road, possibly from physical wheels. Did their vehicles still use actual wheels!?

"Your home world, is-?"

"You realize I will not answer any questions about our home world's location, yes? Not until peace is complete between our people." Flandre said instantly, not letting Desolas finish.

"I was only going to ask its size. The only city on this planet is a good size, so I was just curious if cities of this size were common for your people."

Flandre glanced at Desolas as they turned down another road. "The size of Xi'an is normal for a colony. Some cities on our home world reach upwards of ten thousand square kilometers in size, while most are roughly three thousand square kilometres large. Some of those cities have upwards of forty million people in them."

Desolas was unable to speak for a moment. With those numbers that must mean their planet was a good size and veritably covered in cities! "So your numbers are far greater than we initially figured."

"Considering you thought this was our home world, yes. We're not even fully sure of our own numbers, and they are difficult to gauge."

"Why?"

"We are three separate species, Humans, Lunarians and Youkai, as I've told you. But the problem is that all can have children with the other, and those children do not always end up being the same species as their parents, often being half breeds, half lunarians or half youkai. So it is difficult to ascertain our numbers accurately by species, though some continue to try." Flandre explained as they came down a street and found themselves at the base of the massive mountain range, a pile of cold slag sitting on the slope near them. Desolas could see the shape of a Turian fighter craft sticking out of the slag, but did not think on it too hard, knowing the pilot was long dead, if they were even still inside.

"I see. Are we, going to your command centre?" Desolas asked as Flandre led him towards the massive building built into the mountain.

"I did say we needed information on the envoys your citadel would send. The one in charge of Shanxi's defence is curious about who they would send and what they would be like." Flandre responded.

"Oh, well, I'm not sure who exactly they would send but-.."

"Save it for Tenshi, that way you don't have to repeat yourself." Flandre interrupted as she stepped up to the door to the buildings and taped a keypad beside it for almost a minute straight before it clicked and the door swung open.

The halls of the building were made of solid stone, perfectly smooth to the touch. The stairs were the same, and the only metal that Desolas could see was in the doors they passed and the light fixtures built into the upper edges of the halls. One thing that he found strange was the size of the halls and doors, which were far larger than they needed to be. All the doors were very wide, easily wide enough for two people to walk through, and the halls were easily five metres in width and nearly that in height.

After going up an uncountable number of stairs, they came to the upper levels of the command centre. The walls had wooden supports that were embedded into the walls and the noise of machinery and people working permeated the entire level. Unlike below, Desolas was now worried and nervous, for this was the nerve centre that had defeated his people.

Ahead of them Desolas noticed a door wide open, and as they passed peered in, and instantly froze. Medical equipment was strewn across the room, shattered on the walls. A metal bar was embedded in the wall right above the bed, and blood and other liquids were all over the floor and bed.

"Is there something you need with my room?"

Desolas turned to the new voice, finding another alien standing down the hall, right in front of Flandre. They had been apparently talking, and then she had turned to him. The woman had a more developed body than Flandre and wore a simple red blocky patterned dress. Her hair was bright green and her eyes held a power that made Desolas's heart stop for a half second. Most strange though was that she was holding a wrap of cloth in both hands against her chest, clutching it tightly, but not too tightly.

"Ah, no I," Desolas stop and stood straight as he looked at the alien woman. Flandre had told him about the three species of the alliance, but he was still unsure how to tell them apart. "I apologize. The door was open and I was surprised by the contents when I glanced in."

The woman smiled in way that made Deposal's plates shift. "Understandable. Childbirth can be, dangerous for youkai, or for those around them."

Flandre giggled a bit and turned to Desoals. "Desolas, meet Yuuka Kazami, Yuuka, our alien 'helper' Desolas Arterius. Yuuka here was in command of Shanxi's air defences, for part of the battle at least."

"Yes, Ashley here saw to that." She said as he looked down at the bundle of cloth in her hands, making Desolas realize it was likely her child.

"Oh, is that her name then?" Flandre asked with a smile that Yuuka mirrored.

"Yes, my dear husband though it up, from me threatening him no less!" Yuuka said with a short giggle as she and Flandre turned and began walking down the hall, Desolas following behind, intent on not being mistaken for a spy.

"Oh, what did you threaten him with?"

"I basically told him if he lost the battle I'd turn him to ash."

"Oh, ash, to Ashley, not bad." Flandre said as they turned into a room.

Following behind Desolas entered the room and realised it must have been a command and control room of some sort. A massive holographic table took up the centre of the room, showing a map of the city and Turian camp, as well as glowing dots all over which were likely people on the ground. Yuuka had walked around the table and was standing beside a man, while Flandre was on the side closest to the door. At the side to her left was a woman with brilliant blue hair, wearing a uniform so sleek and powerful looking Desolas knew instantly that she was in command. As he further entered the room he spotted two more people, women by the looks of their body shapes. One was wearing the same clothing as the one in charge and had some sort of floating cloth around their body, while the other was wearing more casual, but still dangerous looking clothing and had a pair of swords on her waist. Their hair colors were a dark purple blue and completely white, making Desolas wonder if there was any reason to the colorations.

"Good, you're here," Tenshi said to Flandre as Desolas walked into the room. "Now your little pet can tell us what we need to hear."

"He's hardly a pet." Flandre said with a shrug as she looked to Desolas and waved him over to the table, then began pointing to everyone as she spoke. "This is Tenshi Hinanai, the one in charge of Shanxi's defences. That is General Williams, Yuuka' husband. Then we have Iku Nagae, Tenshi's assistant, and Youmu Konpaku, one of our operative from the ground assault. Everyone, this is Desolas Arterius, the alien responsible for allowing us to make the aliens surrender and for contacting the alien government!"

"Good, introduction are done," Tenshi said before anyone else could speak. "I want to know one thing. you told them to send envoys. If they do, who will they send and what can we expect?"

"I do not know who exactly they would send, but most likely it will be an Asari diplomatic envoy that gets sent." Desolas replied, unsure if it was a good idea to do so. The people in the room all eyed him with differing expression, none of which he fully comprehended.

"Asari, is that one of the races in your government?" Iku asked calmly, sounding pleasant and even friendly.

"Yes. They often focus on politics, and look similar to your own species." Desolas said as he tapped his Omni tool a few times and brought up an image of an Asari. "The Asari, a mono-gendered race that are all natural biotics with a thousand year lifespan, one of the longest lifespan in the galaxy."

"Until we reveal ourselves!" Yuuka said with a snicker.

"Will that be a problem?" Tenshi asked after looking at Yuuka, then back to Desolas. "Does their age make them act in any specific way?"

"Sometimes, yes. Asari matriarchs are known to act like they know best over other races, especially ones they consider, younger than them, which is most. Some will speak like they are talking to a child, even if they are fully grown."

"I see. What about that, biotics you called them, what is that?" Williams asked.

"Biotics are the ability to manipulate mass effect fields through element zero nodes in a person body. They-,.." Desolas stopped when he realized everyone in the room had what could only be a disgusted look on their faces.

"What can these, biotics, do?" Youmu asked as she stepped away from the wall and up to the table, her hands resting on the handles of her blades ominously.

"Th-they can create mass effect fields, areas that can alter the effects of gravity and a beings weight. They can make things weightless, send bolts of kinetic energy at things to throw them, things like that. Why?" Desolas asked, curious as to why everyone looked disgusted.

"And your species, do they have this ability?" Youmu asked calmly, her tone like smooth steel.

"Some do, but biotics among my people are very rare. Why? Are biotics rare among your people?"

"More like poison!" Tenshi said with hiss. "Element Zero does not play well with magic. Any Youkai or magician is sickened and can die from contact with element zero if it is not dealt with promptly."

"We call it contamination." Youmu said calmly. "I fought one of your people who could do what you describe, and getting hit by the attacks contaminated me. I only was fine because contamination takes time, and I was able to purify myself of it."

"Magic is a major part of our culture and industry." Williams added. "We do not use element zero, and destroy it wherever we encounter it. The idea of an entire race infuse with the stuff is, unsettling."

"More like absolutely disgusting." Yuuka said with bile in her voice.

Desoals could not believe what he was hearing. It was common knowledge that Eezo could be dangerous, but that it could be so hated that these people refused to use it, and even went out of their way to destroy it when found; the Council would not like that, and if what they said was true, they would despise all Asari just for being what they were!

Maybe they'd hate them more than his own people.

"So your government will send envoys of these, Asari, that are walking balls of potential contamination, and who think they are superior to all other species?" Tenhi asked carefully.

"Not all of them think like that, but, yes. That is most likely." Desolas replied.

"Great!" Tenshi said sarcastically with a sigh.

The room was quiet for many moments, as if everyone was considering the information. Then suddenly a beep echoed across the room, and Iku put a hand to her ear and muttered for a few seconds.

"What is it, iku?" Tenshi asked calmly without turning around to look at her.

"That was Patchouli. The Council envoys have arrived in the system and the translation software worked. They successful contacted them. The envoy's ship will be dropping a shuttle to the landing pad outside, and will be accompanied by a fighter squadron from Alice's ship.

"I see. Flandre, you can return our, ally, to his people." Tenshi said with a sigh as she stood up straight and began walking towards the door. "Time to meet the neighbours!"

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"By the goddess, look at the size of those ships!" Shiala exclaimed as their shuttle moved closer and closer to the alien fleet.

"Yes, they are all quite large, but those four are particularly dangerous looking. It will be good when this race join the council and must follow our regulations of ship sizing." Matriarch Benezia said as she looked out a window beside Shiala.

"I agree, but I don't like this. Making us go down to their planet under a guard of their own ships in nothing but a shuttle is, worrying."

"Worry not. They allowed us to land, so they clearly wish for peace regardless of how well they have done. They destroyed a Turian fleet, but the cost must have been too high for them to cope with, so now they wish for us to negotiate peace for them. They will see the truth and join the council. It is the only safe option for them." Benezia said in a confident tone. "They are just being careful; they are worried we are the same as the Turians."

"Still, I do not like being surrounded by these ships." Shiala said as she stared out the window at one of the fighters flanking them. It had a strange shape, like a crescent with a rod sticking out of it front, and while she could not see them, she was sure it had weapons on it. Weapons trained on their shuttle and ready to fire at the slightest act of defiance.

"It will be fine. We were given landing coordinates and they clearly want peace. We just need to remember that to them, we attacked first, so we need to make them understand the hierarchy acted on its own. Pilot, how long till we reach the planet?"

" **We're about to enter atmosphere."** came the pilots reply over the shuttles internal comms. A few seconds later a red wave of heat began appearing outside the shuttle, as well as the fighters flanking them.

"Their fighters are atmospheric as well?!" Shiala gasped in surprise. Sure fighters could often be used in atmosphere or in space, but being able to jump between them themselves was a rare thing for most citadel races.

"So it appears. Perhaps these aliens will provide the council with new technology. No matter they will be joined with us one way or another, then everything will be as it should be." Benezia said as the shuttle stopped being covered in heat waves.

" **We're coming down over the alien city now, Matriarch. ETA to landing pad, one minute."**

"Thank you." Benezia said as she stepped away from the window and adjusted her clothing. "Get yourself ready, Shiala, it is time to meet our new associates!"

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The cloudless sky had changed to a calm overcast over Xi'an. On the command centre's landing pad stood Tensh and Iku, everyone else watching from inside the building as the alien shuttle slowly descended down toward the large landing area.

The shuttle, sleek and smooth in its shape, landed with a slight hiss that made Tenshi and Iku cringe from the obvious mass effect field around it. Desolas had told them to expect it, but an entire ship held up by Eezo, as Desolas had called it, was utterly disgusting!

The shuttle opened, and two figured came out, Asari as Desolas had predicted. One wore a hardsuit of some kind, while the other, more regal in the way she walked, wore a long robe like dress. Both had expressions of surprise on their faces, likely from Tenshi and Iku's similar looks to them, but the more regal one compose herself quickly, and began walking toward them with an arrogant smile on her face.

Until Tenshi drew her sword and pointed it at the regal alien. "Do not proceed any further! I am Tenshi Hinnanai, current defender of Shanxi. Are you the envoy sent by your government?"

"Yes, I am Matriarch Benezia, of the Asari republics. I have been sent as the envoy for the citadel council, to end this unfortunate accident and invite your people to the citadel for more in depth talks." Benezia replied, her voice warm and haughty.

"Good, we can begin the talks then." Tenshi said as she lowered her blade to the side.

"Yes, but let us do them somewhere more comfortable, yes?" Benezia said as she took a step forward, causing Tenshi to raise her blade at Benezia again.

"No, the talk will be done here, and you will come no closer to us!" Tenshi spat out, Hisou vibrating with power as a red aura drifted off of it.

Benezia looked at Tenshi and scowled a bit. "May I ask why. This is hardly the appropriate place to have peace talks." Benezai claimed, her tone sounding just as Desolas had said it could, like a parent condoning a child's actions. It made Tenshi want to blow her off the landing pad and into the city below, but that would not be proper considering the situation, or her station.

Tenshi narrowed her gaze at Benezia. "Because I can smell the contamination wafting off you from here! You will stay at that distance from us. If you come closer you will be struck down and these talks end!"

Benezia stepped back, not from the threat itelf, but from the way Tenshi spoke to her. She had not been spoken to in such a manner in centuries, yet this young alien made demands as if she had been the one attacking the planet! She needed to stay composed however, otherwise the talks would never proceed, and these young foolish aliens would never truly understand the situation. "Very well, I shall remain at this distance. I do have two questions before we begin however, if you will indulge me?"

"Ask." Tenshi said Tersely.

"Thank you. First then, my translator tells me you are speaking Turian, did you commandeer their Omni tools and translation software perhaps?"

"I am under the effects of a translation spell for the Turian language. I was informed your translator would catch it, and translate your words to it as well, hence why we are able to speak. What is your other question?"

Benezia sighed; annoyed at the way the alien was speaking, disallowing her from prying further when the answer gave her even more questions, like what a translation spell was. No matter, their secrets would be discovered one way or another all in due time. "Very well, then the second question. What do you mean by contamination? Are you worried about catching a sickness from us perhaps?"

"No. Disease is nothing we worry about. What I am worried about is getting contaminated by that disgusting element infused in your body! I can sense it from here, so if you even attempt to use the capability it allows, you will die!"

"Do, you refer to my biotics? To the element zero nodes within my body?" Benezia asked in a curious and unbelieving tone. They couldn't be meaning that, could they? Was this alien saying that element zero was more dangerous than normal to them? That they don't use it? Not using Element Zero was impossible, it allowed all the technology of the galaxy, and they had to be lying, or meaning something else!

"That is exactly what I am referring to!" Tenshi yelled, her grip on Hisou tightening at the thought of it. "If you use those disgusting abilities we have been warned of, the peace talks are off and you will be killed in seconds!"

Benezia was visibly shocked by this. This alien admitted with her words and actions that they had been informed of biotics and that they apparently reviled them, and anything to do with Element Zero. The idea was absurd, so either this alien was telling the truth, or playing some form of game to make her confused. It was likely the latter, but she had to be careful, otherwise the negotiations would crumble to pieces. "Very well, I am not here to promote violence, but its antithesis, peace."

"Indeed, we'll see how long that lasts." Tenshi said with a scoff. "Your allies, those Turians, attacked one of our scientific ships that was merely getting readings from those relays, and was destroyed. While a force of our own retaliated against them, it does not paint a good image of your government when your military comes and besieges a planet without even attempting contact of any form!"

"I agree, it would not. However the Turians were not acting in response to orders from the council, but acting on their own, therefore it is they you have a problem with, not the rest of the council. The council however does not want this to continue. If you are willing to return all Turian prisoners to us and come to the citadel, your leadership may speak to the council about reparations and your place in the galactic community."

"Perhaps. You say it like negotiations between our two people must be done on your turf however. Is that correct?" Tenshi asked, glaring at Benezia.

"Yes, all negotiations and agreement are done at the citadel, the centre of galactic civilization! It is the perfect place for such agreements to take place, no place in the galaxy is more perfectly suited to it!" Benezia said arrogantly, as if the citadel council was the only worthy organization in the galaxy.

Tenshi knew the heads of the alliance would enjoy proving them wrong and smiled inside as a plan formed in her head. "Very well, we will need the coordinates of this, Citadel, as well as an information packet of your government, races and history to send to our own leadership. Unless, of course, you want our leaders to unfairly have no information whatsoever?"

"That is acceptable, so long as I receive a similar pack of information to give to the council." Benezia replied quickly, clearly having hoped for such an exchange.

"That is acceptable. Iku!"

In response Iku took a pair of inactive Omni tools out of a pocket and tossed them across the landing platform with audible clicks, both of them coming to a stop just a few feet to Benezia's side.

"One of those has information on our people loaded onto it, load the information of your peoples onto the other for our leadership and then toss it back."

Benezia looked to Shiala and nodded, Shiala doing as Tenshi requested while Benezia looked at the other omni tool and looked it over.

"Were these the property of a Turian prisoners?"

"Not of any one that lives, no."

"I see. That does bring up one thing actually. When you come to the citadel, you will need to have all Turian prisoners, and their effects and equipment with them to return to the council otherwise things may become, problematic for the talks between our leadership. Do you understand?"

Tenshi wanted to strike the alien down, wanted to kill her violently and slowly. She spoke as if she was better and her word was law, like the council decided who lived and die, and now was demanding that all of the Turian technology be returned as well? It was an absurd request by normal logic for wars and who gets what, but Tenshi knew it would not matter, Rinnosuke, Sanae and Eirin already had confirmed that the alien technology would do little to nothing for them, and returning it without a problem would net them points right off the bat. "Very well. It shall all be gathered as well."

"Excellent! I am sure our leaders will be able to come to an agreement that is good for everyone. Do you have sufficient supplies to keep the Turian prisoners in good health? I will not demand they be returned immediately, for my ship will not have room for them all, but the Turians have specific nutritional requirements. We would not want them to be returned beaten, and malnutrition now, would we? It would set a bad precedent for your people's treatment of prisoners, and the whole galaxy would recognize it as such.

"That will be alright. I have been informed they have sufficient supplies for their remaining numbers." Tenshi said, making Benezia look worried.

"You did not destroy their supplies during your skirmishes?"

"No, we had, but their numbers are of an amount we can supplement their remaining stores with our own as needed," Tenshi said with a smile, making Shiala shiver for a reason she did not understand.

Benezia looked at Tenshi with an inquisitive eye. She had told this alien woman that if the Turian were mistreated that they would suffer, yet she was saying they could eat their food. Was this race also Dextro based? What worried her the most though, was Tenshi's comment about their numbers. "Are you saying you that their numbers were reduced that badly?"

"Yes. We routed them quiet effectively, and had to wash the blood off our streets." Tenshi said causally, knowing it should set the alien off.

"This was something akin to a small war. You surely lost many people as well, and you are happy about that?!"

"Yes, why wouldn't we be pleased? They attacked us, we killed them, and they surrendered. Why wouldn't we be happy when we are the ones who are victorious?"

Benezia was silent for a moment before composing herself. "May I ask then, roughly how many Turians you have prisoner?"

Tenshi looked to Iku, who took a step forward. "There has been no chance to do an accurate accounting of their numbers as of yet. However, the only ones who live are the ones who were not killed in our counterattack on the ground. We expect their remaining number to be roughly a third of what was deployed to the planet.

Benezia felt herself go pale. She had seen the cruiser slagged outside of the city. It had been a light cruiser, but even a light Turian cruiser would have a crew of roughly three hundred, more if they carried ground troops. Benezia tried to calculate the loss of life in her head from the information she knew about how many Turian ships were supposed to have taken part in the combat in orbit, and how many would have landed troops.

It made her want to cry.

"M-Matriarch, I have finished." Shiala said, as she held the Omni tool in hand, hr hand shaking a bit. Clearly she was just as horrified as Benezia was inside.

"Thank you, Shiala." Benezia said as she knelt down and slid the Omni tool across the stone toward Tenshi. "All the information your leadership will need is now on it. When will the council be able to expect your leadership to arrive at the citadel?"

Tenshi thought about it for a moment. Depending on where this, citadel, was located it could take up to two or three days to boundary slip there. Then there was how long it would take to corral all of the Turians on Shanxi into a ship, organize things so their leaders could go, deciding who would act as their guards and who would join them. They needed to be sure of many things, and giving time for Kaguya, Hackett and even Yukari to read through the alien's information would take time as well. "One to two weeks I would think. A more accurate number is impossible at this time." Tenshi answered.

"I see. I will inform the council, and I hope our leaders can complete what we have started here. Good day to you, and may the goddess protect you." Benezia said as she turned and walked back to her shuttle, Shiala following close behind.

Tenshi watched as the alien shuttle closed and lifted off, its mass effect field making her cringe again in uncomfortable disgust. Once it had disappeared into the clouds Iku walked over and picked up the Omni tool off the ground. "Well, that could have gone better, I think." She said simply.

Tenshi smiled as she looked up at the sky. "No, I think that went about as well as could be expected."

"Truly?" Iku asked curiously. "That alien, Asari, acted exactly as our friend predicted. If the alien government is the same-.."

"Then our government will have fun proving everything they thought wrong!" Tenshi said with a laugh as she turned to the doors. "Come, let's go give this information to the heads of the alliance, and tell them what to expect!"

 **Authors note: this chapter was both excruciatingly painful, and a load of fun to get right. the political stuff begins, and knowledge begins getting divulged, and don't worry, it's not like the alliance isn't getting anything out of divulging what is common knowledge!**

 **Hope ya liked it, and see you with the next chapter!**


	14. CH14 - Calm Before the Storm

**Authors note: Sorry, not at the Citadel quiet yet, that's next chapter. this chapter is also a bit on the mall side, but it felt wrong to tack it onto the front of the next chapter, which is likely going to be very large, so it gets to be its own chapter.**

 **I've discovered writing the council may actually be weirdly hard for me. Will try to fix that, we'll have to see how that goes.**

 **And here we go, to preparation. And the appearance of everyone's favorite (no longer) destitute Miko!**

The Citadel Council all sat in a single room, eyeing the information before them that was arrayed on data pads, floating screens, and even the tabletop before them. When Matriarch Benezia returned bearing promising news that the new alien race, calling themselves the Alliance, had agreed to come to the Citadel, and had even provided information on their culture and technology Tevos, Valern ,and even Spartacus had been overjoyed.

At least until they began reading and looking over the information given to them.

"These aliens, they are screwing with us." Spartacus said with a scowl as he dropped a datapad onto the table with a loud clatter.

"Perhaps they simply have very stringent beliefs, effective propaganda that lead them to believe these, ideas." Valern suggested as he tapped his Omni tool, looking at information on it with one hand, and a screen before him with the other.

"Their information consistently statutes that they have, 'magic' of all things, and that they have entire legions of people that practice it and technology based off of it." Spartacus said with a wave of his hand. "The information on their technology is sparse as well, but the little there is, it's just as ridiculous!"

"Yes but perhaps they simply use Element Zero, or some sort of, sub alloy of it, perhaps?"

"That would explain..-"

Tevos willed her compatriots words out of her mind and focused on the data in front of her. As interesting as these aliens supposed weakness to Eezo was, it wasn't exactly rare. Nearly all races, save for the Asari, could be horribly sickened by contact with raw dust form Eezo. It affecting and poisoning individuals over time was something normal, though their hate for it was slightly worrisome.

No, she was more interested in the fact that it was not one race they had encountered, but an alliance of three, hence their governments name. An alliance of species would make it difficult to have them join the Citadel as an associate race. She would have to push for each race individually to join, but from the information arrayed before her, no matter how potentially inaccurate it could be according to her compatriots, the three races were tightly knit, and that would make it even more difficult.

Then there were the races themselves. Benezia had told her they looked very much like Asari, but the problem was that the information before her had no pictures. Was it just one race that looked like the Asari? Did all of them? If they did not all look the same, was there a way to tell them apart? Would not being able to tell them apart spark anger or distrust?

There was too little information. True, Spartacus and Valern were very heatedly discussing possible truth and lies of it all, but when she looked over the information she realized something that made her both smirk, and scowl inside. This information had been manipulated. There was far more information about advanced things, like their supposed magic, than on everything else. racial information was sparse, cultural information was chaotic and spread apart seemingly at random, and things like weapon and ship designation were scattered about or referenced without the reference leading to anything.

And above it all, the information kept referencing the fact that these aliens were apparently fearful of Eezo, sickened by it, and could die from exposure to it. The information was constantly pointing to it, and magic, like they wanted them to realize a connection between them that had to exist, yet did not have the information in plain sight.

This information was not meant to inform, it was meant to confuse, meant to make the council unable to take things at face value, to ask question that they had seen the answers to. To make them make fools of themselves without having any other option!

Tevos let out a sigh. How to prove her thoughts? She needed to explain the situation to Valern and Spartacus, but there was still much information to go through. Maybe it did create a whole? If it was all sifted through, would she make sense of it and be able to explain the situation in a way they both would understand?

Hoping that was the case, Tevos pushed herself back in and immersed herself in the information. She had nearly two weeks to look it over. Lots of time to make sure they were ready for when the alliance arrived.

Lots of time.

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Hackett, Kaguya and Yukari all stood around a HoloComm projector with neutral expressions painted on their faces. The projector was showing pages of information, organized by layers and tables and flowcharts, all of information on the Citadel Council, the species in their organization, and how they were organized.

They had acquired the information from Tenshi almost six days before hand via a five hour transfer from Shanxi, and since then had been looking over all of it individually. Now they had met up in person to compare their thoughts and stance on the information, and to decide how they would proceed with the inevitable negotiation with the Citadel Council.

"Once this is finished," Yukari started with a sigh. "I'm going to either congratulate Tenshi, or gap her into the centre of a very active, and very deep volcano!"

"Isn't that a little excessive?" Kaguya asked as she leaned on the HoloComm' edge with both of her arms.

"Operative Tenshi is gambling with information we should have kept secret longer." Hackett said grimly. "By giving the information that the majority of us are weakened by Eezo it shows a weakness that this council could exploit if they desire to. I now realize why she sent us this data by transfer, and did not communicate with us directly when sending it."

Kaguya thought to herself for a second, then looked at the information before them on the council. It was complete, total and well organized, and sent a thought through her head. "Do we have a copy of the information that Tenshi gave to the Citadel Council's envoy?"

" . . . I believe so, why?" Yukari asked carefully.

"Because, we need to take a look at it, even if it is information on our own organization," Kaguya said, and no less than half an hour later both Kaguya and Yukari were sitting in chairs dealing with fits of giggles they could not stop, and Hackett was smiling as he leaned against the Holocomm.

"I think we can agree that Opertive Tenshi has outdone herself with this." Hackett said with a grin.

"I agree, I would not have considered this sort of thing." Kaguya said as she used a finger and wiped some tears of laugher from her eyes, flicking them away to the floor. "If we work with this, we can make utter fools of this Council and they will not be able to stop it. They will be walking right into it!"

"Indeed, they will. I will have to-," Yukari paused as he face became cold somehow, as if she strained to speak. "-To congratulate Tenshi for this."

"Oh, I'll need to find Eirin's recorder then!" Kaguya said with a smile, making Yukari glare at her. "Relax, I wouldn't actually film it. At least not while you know I'm there!"

"Let's focus on the task at hand, shall we?" Hackett suggested as he took a sip of water and looked at the projection. "We now realize that Operative Tenshi has set things up for us to be the target of most questions in a way that will benefit us, but we will need to decide upon how much we are willing to divulge to these races. As well as how to answer their questions and what questions we will ask them, as we will need to ask them questions a well. Many of the points in their information are, worrisome."

"Which points?" Kaguya asked as she stood up and walked up to the Holocomm. "The fact they allow a race to practice slavery, while ignoring that the slaves have to come from somewhere? The fact that they are fanatical about keeping the status quo? The fact that they castrated a species for doing what they wanted them to? Or my favorite, the fact they have eight species in their government, but only three of them have people at the top?"

"I find the race that legally practices slavery to be the most disturbing honestly, right alongside their governing structure." Yukari said with a nod as she looked to Hackett.

"Hmm, their governing style is worrisome, but I find the organization of their military most worrisome, personally. Their treaties and demand of the races under them are heavy, including limiting any races number of warship and their fighting numbers so that they have to let the Councils military protect them, or join their military." Hackett said with a sigh as he looked to his two compatriots. "We are in agreements then?"

Both Yukari and Kaguya silently nodded, understanding what Hackett was getting at.

"Good, we'll have much to discuss, but I do not believe it shall take longer than another day. We should decide upon how we will get there, who will be our guards, and how the prisoners will be sent as well."

"I believe it would be in our best interest to arrive on the same ship as them, or at least alongside it. That way this council cannot argue we did not bring them back to them." Kaguya suggested.

"I agree. I also think we should just go to Shanxi and take a ship from there. One of the mage fleet capitol ships, either the White Lotus or the Wonderland should be able to hold all the prisoners without a problem, I would think." Yukari stated.

Hackett hummed a bit as he scratched at his well-cut beard. "The White Lotus, then. Its weapons are primarily defensive in nature, so it will send the best message as well."

"I agree." Kaguya said quickly. "The White Lotus shall bring us to this citadel along with our guards and the prisoners. Who shall act as our guards? I shall have Eirin come as mine, that way we also have a biology expert and member of Alliance R&D on hand."

"That is a good idea." Hacket said, taking a moment to think. "If my mind does not fail me, I believe Operative Sanae Kochiya is on Shanxi as an R&D member. I shall bring her as my own guard. And you, Yukari?"

Yukari smiled. "We all know who I intent to have at my side. So let's focus on one last point." she said as she brought up an image of the Citadel. "From the information shown here, Mass Effect technology, as they call it, makes up an integral part of their culture and technology. To any of us with magic however, be they human, Lunarian or youkai, it is poison. From the additional information provided by Tenshi and Youmu, it seems many of these aliens can manipulate these fields from Eezo in their own bodies. Direct contact with these combat capable fields will be dangerous, and being inside such fields for any extended period could be as well." Yukari explained as she looked to Kaguya. "We'll need R&D to devise some form of protection from these fields that does not require wearing a full hard suit."

Kaguya nodded. "I agree. I'll get them on it immediately."

"How long will it take at a guess?" Hackett asked as Kaguya began tapping away at the wrist comp.

"A couple days at least. It will depend on who they put on it. And with Eirin, Sanae and Rinnosuke on Shanxi . . . . As long as Nitori is put on it, it should be only a few days."

"Hmmm. Six days of looking over the information. At least two to three days to devise the device we'll need. Plus another day of travel to Shanxi, and then at least another one or two to this citadel. Not including the time it will take to board all the prisoners if it is not done beforehand." Hackett said with a sigh. "It's a good thing Tenshi told them two weeks to prepare."

"Agreed. We have time to continue this discussion tomorrow. Let's reconvene then so we can contact those who will travel with us, as well as Byakuren and Tenshi to inform them of the situation." Kaguya suggested, getting a nod of agreement from both Yykari and Hackett.

Hackett was the first to leave, placing a call immediately, and Kaguya left shortly after, tapping at her computer. A few minutes late, in total silence, Yukari snickered to herself and smiled "Oh, this is going to so much fun!"

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By a crystal clear pool of water, the Hawaiian sun beating down from above, people went about enjoying themselves. Some ate food with their loved ones, others drank under the sun, and some simply bathed under it, letting the sun and various oils do their work. The pool itself was massive, with many people on one side enjoying themselves, the other side being reserved for those swimming laps, either to improve themselves, or simply because they could.

In the lane closest to the pools edge, one person in particular had caught many people's eyes over the day. She swam faster than anyone else, but that was not why people watched. Her hair was a brilliant black that shone in the light, and her form was excellent, curves in all the right places, but that was not why people gawked.

They watched, gawked and stared out of respect and admiration for who she was.

Reaching the end of her laps the woman grabbed the edge of the pool and pulled herself out. Her swimsuit was a red and black competition style, and her long black hair was done into a single ponytail, held up by a single red band with white trim in its center. Climbing out of the pool, it was clear that the woman was of average height, though it did nothing to lessen the impact her looks gave. Long legs, a well-toned body and muscles, and a gaze that could freeze fire and shatter impurity. Stepping away from the pool she grabbed a towel from on a chair and dried her face before placing a pair of sunglasses on. Tossing the towel onto the chair she took a seat, then once comfortable grabbed a bottle of Sapporo of the table. With a click flick of a finger the cap flew off and landed in a recycling bin across the pool, and in one motion she drank the entire contents of the bottle, leaning back comfortably in her chair.

For a while everything seemed calm, until she let out a sigh and shifted a bit, siting up in her chair and staring out at the pool and over it to the tropical sea. "What do you want, Yukari?"

"Oh my, you do always seem to know when I stop by, don't you, Reimu?" came Yukari Yakumo's voice a second before a gap appeared beside Reimu's chair, and out stepped Yukari herself, dressed in a dark purple suit that fit her remarkably well.

Her appearance however caused a stop to all action and noise around the pool as everyone present just stood and stared in shock and surprise.

Reimu let out a sigh and turned her head to Yukari, shaking it slightly so that her sunglasses dipped down, allowing her eyes to look at Yukari uncovered, glaring at her with seriousness. "What. Do. You. Want?"

"Oh, that's rather cold, Reimu! I even got dressed up to see you!" Yukari whined innocently before a grin covered her face. " or are you saying you'd prefer I appear in a swimsuit as well so we can go for a pair look?" in that instant, as soon as the words left Yukari's mouth, a Sukima* appeared over her head and moved down over her. Her clothing changed as the Sukima went over her, changing from a dress suit the darkest of purples, to a skimpy bikini that was bright purple with black straps.

Reimu let out an exasperated sigh as Yukari took a seat on a chair beside Reimu, lounging casually as a Sukima dropped a pair of sunglasses and a hat on her head, and a mixed drink of some kind into her hand. Reimu could smell the fruity smell immediately and it made her scowl even more. Now she wanted one. "What is this about, Yukari? You hardly ever have time to bother me, so this must be important, yes?"

"Yes it is." Yukari said simply as she sipped the drink and let out a hum. "I'll have to pay the bar for snitching this, it's quite good!"

Reimu let out a groan. "What is it called?"

"It's a Mai Tai. I haven't had one this good in a while."

"Waiter, can I get a Mai Tai, please?" Reimu asked as she flagged a waiter who was hurrying alongside the pools edge. He nodded quickly and went on his way. "Would you please tell me what this is about now?"

"Of course, I just wanted you to have a drink as well. It's been so long since we last drank together, after all!"

Reimu simply looked at Yukari for a second before sighing and leaning back in her chair, pushing her sunglass back up her nose.

"Alright fine I'll get to the point. You know of what has been occurring at Shanxi, yes?"

"Of course. It is quite the incident, and I'm honestly surprised I wasn't called for it. Not that I'm complaining."

"You are many things Reimu, but a military general and a leader of ground forces is not one of them." Yukari said calmly. "Anyway, the situation has been mostly contained. The alien invaders have been made to surrender, and we have gained contact with an envoy from their coalition government."

"A coalition government. You mean it's more than one race?" Reimu asked calmly as the waiter came by and deposited a Mai Tai on the table between them, closest to Reimu. "Thank you."

"Yes, only one of these aliens attacked us however, their military arm. Embarrassingly enough for them, the rest of them were oblivious to this until recently. Regardless we will be brokering a rather, interesting peace with them within the next week. We merely await some special equipment, and to travel to meet them."

Reimu took a sip of her Mai Tai and smiled at it before placing it back on the table. "You wouldn't be telling me this if there wasn't something you wanted from me. I would just hear about all of this afterword's anyway. So what are you after?"

"Hackett, Kaguya and myself shall be leaving to the Shanxi system to meet with Tenshi, who acted as general for the defence against the aliens, and to pick up Eirin and Sanae, both of whom shall be acting as guardians for us during the negotiation. We don't want to seem like we don't need guardians after all, that would send the wrong message. We want them to think only some of us are strong, so if they do pick a fight we can grind them into dust."

"Get to the point." Reimu said as she grabbed her drink and took another drink of it, consuming almost half the glass in a bare two mouthfuls.

"I find myself in need of a guardian, and hoped you would be kind enough to act as mine for the negotiation. Would you?"

"I'm on vacation." Reimu said immediately as she finished her drink without making a sound.

"You always on vacation except for when you're beating the magic out of those who deserve it or solving an incident." Yukari said with a smile.

Reimu could not really argue that point. When the border fell she had her hands tied with the worldwide incident it was, as well as with figuring out what to do with herself. She eventually found out her fortune and luck was as good as her intuition though, and ended up winning not one, but five separate lotteries in just over two years. Being strapped for money for so long, she had been intent on not wasting it, and had either put most of it into savings accounts, shares, or investments. Even if one or two fell through, the rest were always going strong. That, along with the fact that she was paid by the Alliance for every incident she solved, meant she never really had to work again. She, of course, did still work, both as an operative of the Alliance and as an occasional teacher alongside Sanae for training new Miko and Priests, but she didn't need to, she just did to keep busy. It had been a long time since she had dealt with any incident though, big or small.

Rimu let out a sigh. She did need to get back into things really. She couldn't just laze about all day long like she did in Gensokyo while waiting for donations. "Alright, fine. When is this happening?"

"We figured that the device we need made would take two to three days to make. That was yesterday, and we were informed this morning that R&D had managed to create a working prototype already. They just need to work the kinks out and it will be good to go. We leave tomorrow morning from Luna as soon as we have the devises. From there we will go to Shanxi, to accompany our POW's, and then to the alien home territory." Yukari said as she got up from the chair, a Sukima going over and changing her bikini back to a dress suit as another appeared right in front of her. "Thank you, Reimu. I will see you at Luna spaceport."

And with that, she was gone.

Reimu was silent for a few seconds before she scowled and removes her sunglasses, staring up at the inside of the umbrella that sat above her. "Dammit. I guess it's a good thing I travel light." She muttered as she slowly sat up and then glanced at the table, where piece of paper sat, folded and pointing toward her. Knowing she would regret it, she picked up the paper anyway and unfolded it.

 _I forgot to pay for my drink, pay for it for me, okay, Reimu?_

 _Yukari._

Reimu felt a long buried rage well up within her, and as she stood up let it cry out to the heavens. "DAMN GAP HAG!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxC **Codex**

 **Sukima / Gap -** A Sukima, often called a gap by most people, is sort of gateway between boundaries and borders created by Yukari Yakumo by her power over borders. They can be used to traverse long distance, bring things out of or into existence and even change the base principles of a person's being, body, and thoughts and ideals. The Sukima was one of the facets of her power that was studies to help with the creation of the boundary drive, and without its existence, the drive would never have been created.

there are limits to what a Sukima can do, such as its maximum reach, but Yukari has never divulged this fact or the actual limits of it to others. At the very least it has been recorded of her going from Tokyo to the moon on occasion, so there is much argument about its actual distance.

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Operative Bio – Reimu

Name: Reimu Hakurei

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Age: 150, looks to mid to late twenties.

Power rank: S

Class: 3

Class Specifics: can only work alongside those who can keep up with her. Those in this number are few and can be counted on both hands. Does not command troops well.

Powers: Manipulation of Aura's, summoning godly powers. mastery over the spiritual.

Capabilities/skills: inhuman intuition and luck. Flight. Purification skills. Master ranked martial combat skills. Economic and business sense.

Bio: The Miko (Shrine maiden) of the Hakurei shrine that held the border of Gensokyo closed, when the border broke, all of Reimu's world came tumbling down. Her shrine blown from existence, and Gensokyo gone, leaving her with nothing. taking it in stride she, along with many others worked to preserve he world aft the border broke, and was able to stay sane by continually working for a time, allowing her to get used to the new world with help from Marisa and Sanae.

During the creation of the alliance she ended up winning numerous lotteries, and not wanting to be poor ever again, worked to make sure hr money would always be with her, putting it in savings accounts, shares, investments and the like. Many of these investments are in things like Alliance R the Miko institute, and the Magic academy ships, places she knows will never disappear and will always keep giving back. she doesn't need to work now, and can live off the interest of these, but still often works with Sanae training new Miko and as an operative.

While Operatives have no ruling on who is considered the strongest of all of them, Reimu is considered to be the strongest in one on one combat and control tactics. Her intuition, along with years of solving incidents and her massive spiritual powers allow her to easily dominate other in combat, and it is nearly impossible to take her by surprise. She is impressively skilled in martial combat as well, allowing her to fight in all avenues and distances without a care.

she does not hold a permanent job besides being an operative, and spends most of her time when not training Miko's or acting as an operative by lounging around earth at the many resorts, lazing around far more effectively than she ever could in Gensokyo.

it is known that she doe not Command an Alliance Operative ship (AOS), but is finally considering having one made for her, and possibly sharing it with Sanae.


	15. CH15 - To bring Low

**Authors note: Okay, here's the chapter you have been waiting for, possibly in a way you do not expect. Sorry, no kaga getting killed, at least not yet. Either way, this chapter was greatly fun to white, especially since I got to point out a fact that has always pissed me off. (make sure you know the difference between miscarriage and stillbirth, it will help.)**

 **now then, onto the show!**

The Turian camp on Shanxi had been turned into a POW camp after their surrender, but not in the way the Turians expected. They had expected rigid doctrine, exact patrols, inspections, heavy guard and watches. They expected to be abused, their pride tread upon, and their personal effects taken leaving them with little more than the minimum required clothing, and little to no food.

Instead, the Alliance set up a perimeter around the camp the Turians military weapons were all stockpiled just outside this perimeter and that was it. No guards tried to harass them, or check up on every nook and cranny of the camp. They were not forced to act like prisoners either, and had free run of their camp as long as no one left it. Each day after the surrender more surviving Turians were returned to them, injured from combat, or scared out of their minds, but whole and as healthy as they could be in a war zone. A couple days later, the Alliance even began supplementing their remaining food stores with something they called bread, as well as nutrient pills, surprising those few high ranking Turians that still lived and held leadership over their men.

It was strange, the Alliance, as the Turians learned their organization was called, fought like monsters, but now that they had surrendered, they barely saw any Alliance force unless they neared the perimeter, where they were demanded to head back, in their own tongue nonetheless!

There was a problem however that quickly became apparent to those in command, and that problem was the situation itself. They were limited in where they could go, and once their wounded were dealt with, many soon became listless and restless. Ideas of fighting back again began popping up, mostly in the younger groups of Turians, those who had either only encountered bombardments, or who wanted revenge for fallen friends. On the other side, many had simply stopped caring, spending the days lazing around and getting up only for food. They no longer cared, and many of their minds were broken from horrors. Any word about alliance personnel or weapons set them off into fits of shivers, tears and self-depreciation and loathing. These two extremes together, while making up only a bare total quarter of all Turian in the camp, quickly made the place feel much worse than it was.

This had gone on consistently, regardless of how much higher ranked personal tried to stop it, for nine of the planets nights since they had surrendered. Many were now beginning to think they were going to die in captivity, until the tenth day after surrender, when one Alliance alien passed through the perimeter into the Turian camp.

The alliance person walked through the camp with singular intent, ignoring the presence of any that saw them, sending ripples through the Turian camp. Nearly every restless, listless Turian began following at a distance, hoping to either take the alien down, or find out what they wanted. Every uninjured Turian who knew better, especially those of rank, began following and gathering as well, intent on stopping things from going out of their control. Actually the alien stopped in the clearing just outside of the remains of the camps command tent and stood there for a few seconds before calling out in perfect Turian. "General Oraka of the Turian Hierarchy, I have news you will find important to hear!"

While noise was heard from the inside of the tent, Oraka was clearly surprised by the sudden call out, giving those who had gathered a chance to look the alien over at length. From being surrounded by aliens at the perimeter, escorted to their camp by them, and from having fought them, many Turians now understood that this was the overall look of the aliens, like pale Asari with fur, called hair, on their heads. There were, of course, some who still did not believe it, or had not seen them close up and had heard only stories from others of their looks. The alien wore no armour, only dark black clothing with multicolored edging that, while strange, looked dangerous and professional. Her hair was the color of Shanxi's sky and reached far down the length of her back, while a strange object hung from a belt on her waist. What surprised most however was that her eyes were a bright red in color, and that her gaze never left the tent in front of her.

Finally, General Oraka came out of the tent and approached the woman, wearing a curious look in his face. "I am General Oraka, may I ask who you are and what message you bring?"

The alien woman nodded. "I am Tenshi Hinanai, currently the General of Shanxi, and the one whose plans stopped your people," She started with a smile, causing many around them to growl in anger at the way she announced herself. "It was my subordinates that gave you a chance to surrender and spare the lives of your men, and my order that allowed them to give you the chance. I am here to inform you that contact with your government have been successful. Your camp is to be packed up immediately. Once it is packed, we will begin transporting your people and belongings and equipment to one of our ships, and shall bring your people along with our leadership to your citadel!"

Tenshi's words instantly turned nearly every piece of anger in the camp to instant joy. They had contacted the council; they were going to meet with them! Many instantly began muttering to others about how good it would be to see these aliens brought down before the council, while others, most of them, were simply happy at the true meaning behind the worlds. They were going home, they were finally leaving this place!

"That is good to hear. I know you said immediately, but how long do we have to breakdown the camp and organize ourselves?" Oraka asked as he eyed the masses that were his men with what counted for a smile among Turians.

"Our leadership will be arriving in system in roughly four to six hours and wish to leave for the citadel immediately. I hope we can have your people all organized and boarded upon our ship before then."

"That is, a short space of time, but it should be doable. Will one of your ships be able to transport all of my men, or will we be split among ships?"

"Only one ship, the AOS White Lotus. One of our four dreadnaughts in orbit will bring your people to the citadel. There will be room, though other smaller ships will bring your people up to it." Tenshi said as she pulled out a small blocky device and placed it on the ground before her. "This will allow you to contact and inform me when your people are ready to be transported up to the Lotus. Until then." Tenshi explained as she turned and walked away, Turians parting and allowing her to leave past them without an issue.

For many moments the camp was completely silent, then Oraka spoke up, his voice booming across the camp as he gave the order everyone had been hoping to hear for days. "You heard the alien, we're going home! Pack up the camp and get everything organized! The quicker we do this the sooner we can be on our way back to council space!"

In what might have been the fastest reaction time Oraka had ever seen, every Turian began moving at once. Soldiers began heading to their tents to pack their sparse amount of effects, captains began barking orders to those around them, and officers began working together and organizing how the entire camp would be taken down as fast as possible.

The Turian Hierarchy was the military arm of the council, and was known for being efficient in anything to do with the military. It was why their navy, army and air force were combined, and now, as they broke down the camp that had been both their base and prison for almost two weeks, it became clear how they were so efficient.

In less than three hours, a sprawling camp had been reduced to a pile of organized boxes , cases and piled of equipment, and every Turian was grouped, ready to board whatever vehicles would take them up to orbit, and back to their own space.

A bare half hour after Oraka had pressed the device he had been given the first ship came down, and they saw an alliance ship close up in all its glory and horror. They had expected shuttles to bring them up to orbit, and while many were either nervous or simply disgusted by the idea of getting on these alien ships, they knew there was no other option. What came down for them, however, was no shuttle but an entire cruiser that was nearly 320 meters in length according to some Turians Omnitools.

It was strangely designed, far blockier than any council designed ship, and most surprising was the lack of mass effect field. But the Turians were given no chance to wonder, and were quickly ushered on, nearly a quarter of them managing to cram into the hold of the cruiser before it lifted off, and pulled them out into orbit as two more cruisers passed it, going down to pick up the rest.

Entering orbit, the Turians gained their first glimpse of the Alliance fleet around the planet. None of them had seen it, the entire Turian fleet having been annihilated, so many did not believe their fleet could be too amazing, figuring that they likely had only a handful of ships left. The innumerable amount of ships in orbit, many the size of citadel dreadnaughts however made many go pale. The sight of four massive dreadnaughts, easily twice as large as the other got their attention as well, considering they appeared to be heading directly toward one of them.

Just who were these aliens that could make such massive ships?

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Reimu Hakurei stepped past the threshold of the corvette that had been carrying her, Yukari, Hackett and Kaguya and into one of the White Lotus's many docking bays. Yukari had gone ahead with Kaguya and Hackett, stating they were heading to the bridge to speak with Byakuren and Tenshi, Leaving Reimu behind and to her own devices.

She was fine with it. Politics was not something she wanted to get her hand dirty with if she could help it, and it had been a long time since she had been on an Alliance operative's ship. The only one she had been on repeatedly was Marisa's dreadnaught, and like the Lotus it was a magic academy ship, so she was curious as to how different it would be in its design and looks.

Walking out of the docking bay and into the halls, getting bows from nearly every member of the ship's crew she passed, Reimu found herself glancing around as she moved. The halls were flanked by columns of bright wood at exact places, and the walls themselves were plastered with white paper, along with the lighting it gave the halls a bight feeling, much different than Marisa or Patchoulis' ships, both of whom preferred dimmer lighting unless necessary.

Numerous times as she went she found doors that were locked and barred with a no entry message. It was annoying, especially since all these doors seemed to lead to the White Lotus's main hall. Every magic academy ship had a main hall, or multiple halls, were its students would normally gather for self-study, and sometimes classes. The Lotus's main hall was apparently being used to hold the alien prisoners. It was a fine idea considering how large some such halls were, but it was annoying, because Reimu had only heard descriptions of the alien, and was curious to their looks.

With a sigh she ascended a set of stairs, noting the magical runes in every step that acted as anchors if something happen to the ships gravity, and went up to the ships third level. Finally, after some more searching, she found a door to one of the halls balconies and grabbed its handle.

"Hey, Reimu!"

Reimu turned to the familiar voice to see Sanae Kochiya walking toward her. She was wearing what had become in the last couple years, her usual attire, the bodysuit she used in R&D, and had a smile covering her face.

"Hello, Sanae. wearing a sock again I see."

Sanae scowled at Reimu's words as she walked up to her. "It's a body suit!"

"Sock, suit, not much difference if you ask me. Either ways its far to revealing. Don't you find it embarrassing, showing of the shape of your body so blatantly?"

"No, not really, this is how your supposed to dress in space!" Sanae exclaimed as she looked over Reimu's choice of clothing,. a knee length red skirt, a white tank top and a red vest on top of it. It looked like a casual version of her old clothing from Gensokyo, totally unimaginative!

"Sure whatever, Sanae." Reimu said with a sigh. "I thought you were on Shanxi looking over the alien tech with Kourin and Eirin?"

"I was. But their tech is," Sanae topped and heaved a heavy sigh. "it's not that amazing. Element zero based, but very simplistic. There's not much of real interest for R&D, and their armour technology and shield tech is as boring as their weapons. Eirin and I are coming along as guards for Kaguya and Hackett though, so hopefully the alien space station we'll be going to will be more interesting."

"It's a space station?"

"Yes, that's what I've gleaned from the information I looked over. A massive forty kilometre long space station called the Citadel. You didn't know? I thought you were coming along as Yukari's guard."

" I am, but Yukari did not tell me very much or do much to inform me of the situation. I was forced to ask Hackett about the situation on the ride here."

"Oh. Well, if you're here then they must be as well, right?"

"We did come on the same corvette, so yes, Yukari, Kaguya and Hackett are here, why?"

"We've been waiting for you guys to arrive for a couple of hours now. The Turians were prompt in packing down their camp and getting their people ready, so they've been in the main hall just waiting for a while now."

"They are in there? Good!" Reimu said as she reached for the door again.

"No, you can't go in there, Reimu. The balconies are off limits while they are in there!"

"I've checked every door I've found, and all of them say off limits and are locked." Reimu said as she looked to Sanae.

"That's because Tenshi didn't want any crewmember getting near them, in case they tried something." Sanae replied simply.

"Sanae."

"Yes?"

"Neither of us are members of the crew, we are operatives. We only answer to Yukari, Hackett and Kaguya, no one else. I could literally walk into R&D's deepest areas and no one but other operatives could stop me." Reimu stated as she grabbed the handle of the door.

"That would not be nice, but what does that have to do with Tenshi's order?"

Reimu opened the door slightly and looked at Sanae with a slightly devious grin. "She isn't here to tell me the order, so I don't know about it. That and she broke my shrine." Reimu finished as she swung the door open and walked in.

"Reimu, that was over a century ago and you're still sore over it?!" Sanae exclaimed in surprise as she followed Reimu through the doorway, closing it behind her so no one else would follow.

The main hall of the White Lotus as it turned out, was not primarily a study area like the Philosophe or Wonderlands, but a large open area with balconies surrounding it. Lines on the ground and walls clearly stated were barriers could be erected, and where automatic spells could be formed. It appeared it was more similar to Marisa's ship, as it was a room used for practicing magic, or possible dueling between students to hone their skills. The room itself was easily the size of a stadium, and almost completely filled with aliens standing and sitting around, waiting for something to happen.

" . . . they look very grey." Was all Reimu said after a moment of looking over the balconies railing down at the mass of aliens.

"Eirin says they have trace of some kind of metal in their skin. A defence against radiation or something." Sanae said with a sigh as she stood beside Reimu. "They only have two fingers and a thumb on each hand, and their legs are backwards bent. She thinks they're descended from some form of alien bird or lizard."

"Explains a bit then, I guess." Reimu said as she gazed down, a smile creeping onto her face. "Maybe I'll go say hi and pull some information out of one of them."

"Please don't, Reimu. We'll both never hear the end of it if you do!"

"Yeah, but I can see a few of them glaring up at us."

"So ignore them. We should be leaving soon anyway, right?"

" **Attention all personnel, the AOS White Lotus shall be entering boundary slip in T-Minus one minute. Please prepare for the slip. Additionally, Operatives Hakurei and Kochiya are asked to come to the bridge."**

"Looks like it." Reimu said with a sigh. "Let's head over then and find out exactly what this mission is going to entail."

"Thank goodness!" Sanae exclaimed as the two of them left the room, moments before the whole ship shuddered as it entered its boundary slip.

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Councillor Tevos let out a heavy sigh as she closed her Omni tool and looked at her compatriots. There was still so much information to go through, still so much to consider, and so much to discern, but she hasn't been able to find a logical reason why the information provided to them was all over the place. She had spent days looking for some sort of pattern, but had found nothing and come back to one simple conclusion. The information they had been given was broken and partial on purpose. There was no choice; she had to tell her compatriots the situation. The Alliance's leaders could arrive within a couple days, so they had to think over the situation and compare their thoughts. It was now or never.

"Spartacus, Valern, we must discuss something about this information. It is-," Tevos was interrupted by her Omni tool beeping soddenly, getting more of Spartacus and Valern's attention than her words had. With another sigh she tapped her omni tool, "Yes?"

"Councillor, an unknown ship has suddenly appeared near the Relay. It does not match any known ship design and is bigger than the average dreadnaught. Its pilot introduces it as the AOS Whit Lotus, and that they are carrying the Alliance's leadership and Turian survivors from the relay 314 incident!"

" . . . I believe I asked us to be informed before they came through the relay, not after." Tevos said calmly.

"Yes well, our systems never noticed the relay activating. We only realized the ship was there when its magnetic field began effecting out sensors. It's as if it just appeared there without the relay!"

Tevos let out a sigh. "Very well. You know the situation. Have their leadership land in a shuttle in the designated bay. Their tour through the Presidium will give us time to prepare, Councillor Tevos, out."

"They have arrived then." Valern said as a statement, not a question as he tapped his Omni tool and brought up a picture of the massive dreadnaught by the relay, all 1700 meters of it.

"Yes, we need to be as prepared as possible." Tevos said calmly, while Spartacus just glared at the image of the ship.

"Yes, I agree. That monstrosity is too much. Let's get ready to make these savages understand their position!"

Tevos let out another sigh. Telling her compatriots what she had found out would just complicate things. Both of them were too set in their ways. This was going to be a painful meeting.

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"That station is quite impressive." Eirin said calmly as she stared at it from the White Lotus's bridge.

The bridge was abuzz with activity, not just from its crew and Yakuren, but from Kaguya, Hackett and Yukari, as well as Eirin, Sanae and Reimu acting as their guards. Tenshi was off to one side with Iku nearby as well, though she seemed to refuse to look at the station before them.

"It's supposed to be what, forty kilometres long?" Hackett asked, glancing to Kaguya and Eirin.

"Yes, but the information they gave claims it was left behind by the Protheans. they did not make it." She answered swiftly

"Does make it feel less impressive if they didn't make it then, huh?" Sanae commented, getting a nod of agreement from Eirin and Reimu.

"And the whole thing is held together with Element Zero gravity fields, a surprising, if dangerously wasteful technology," Yukari said with a hum as she turned to Kaguya. "You have the devices, yes?"

In response Kaguya walked over to a briefcase and picked it up, throwing it onto a table at the side and opening it up. Inside were an assortment of smooth silver bracelets, a single glowing red bead inset in each of them. "Nitori has made us a dozen of what she is calling, Eezo repulsion bracelets. They create a magical field around the wearer that repels what these aliens call mass effect fields, but only passively. If we are attacked by someone that manipulates them, it will not top those, biotics. It should protect us from long term exposure to the field inside their station however." She explained as she and Eirin began passing them out to everyone.

"Should? Do we not know if they will?" Reimu asked nervously as she clicked it on and pressed the bead to activate it. She felt a field surround her, and then noticed that Neither Tenshi, Iku or Byakuren were picking up bracelets, yet a seventh was missing. Interesting!

"Nitori will only have been able to test their concept." Sanae provided as she put hers on and pressed its switch. "R&D only keeps a very sparse amount of Element Zero in storage in case it's needed. Otherwise most of it that is found is either ignored or destroyed, mostly destroyed. Normally, there isn't a need though, so she likely would not have been able to create a field large enough to test for an extended period of time."

"Will we be safe if they do not work then?" Hackett asked carefully.

"We should be." Kaguya said quickly. "Element Zero contamination takes longer to happen to those with stronger magic, so all of us should have a decent resistance to passive fields on our own. Even if the bracelets do not work, we should be fine for a half day at least, I would think."

"That's something then." Reimu muttered with a sigh as she looked over to where Byakuren was standing watch over her bridge." Have they given us docking coordinates yet, Byakuren?"

Byakuren shook her head. "No, after replying to our first call and asking us to hold our position till further notice, we've had nothing. They understood us however, so I can only assume the language pack Tenshi gave them was worth it."

"Well, I had to give them something to communicate. I figured the English language pack would be easiest as it would allow us to speak other languages without them knowing. To say nothing that English is the language we use for internship communication in the first place."

"Ignoring that, Byakuren, have you noticed any dreadnought capable docks on their station?" Yukari asked next.

"No, none of our scanners have picked up a dock large enough for the White Lotus. It appears they limit the size of their ships, and nothing larger than a kilometer looks to be able to dock with them. And they only have one dock of that size."

"I see. We will have to take the corvette then." Yukari said as she turned to everyone else. "Byakuren will keep us informed of when they allow us to come over, until then, everyone get ready and clean yourselves up before meeting in hanger bay one."

Everyone gave a bow and left, leaving Byakuren alone on the bridge with Tenshi and Iku.

"You are not going with them?" Byauren asked softly.

"No, I don't like the look of that place. And Yukari made it clear that my, actions in the information given to them will make things tense, so it is best I stay behind. I'm fine with it. Means I don't have to deal with more of these aliens." Tenshi answered.

"That doesn't sound very good, Tenshi. You sound like you don't care."

"I don't, not after I began reading the information they gave us that I sent to Yukari Hackett and Kaguya. here." She said a she walked up and tapped a few buttons on the console beside Byakuren, loading the information in to and bringing up a couple different articles.

Byakuren looked at the articles for a few seconds before her smile was sullied by the information. "Oh my, this is . . . barbaric."

"Exactly, and these aliens are about to find out exactly what we'll think of them; and I'm not needed for that!"

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After Benezia returned to the council, it was slowly released to the public that a new alien race had been discovered. And while it was assured that conflict with them while short had ended, it was not told when they would arrive at the Citadel. Most of the public assumed they would soon become part of the council and looked forward to more information about their new allies, but with no exact date given as to when they would arrive, many had settled on waiting anxiously, prepared to drop everything at a moment's notice to join in and see them when they arrived.

So when a nearly two kilometer long, and very massive dreadnaught of unknown design simply appeared by the mass relay with absolutely no pomp or circumstance, the effect was split. Some thought they were suddenly being attacked, while others, the most anxious, began going on about how they must be their new allies, and about how impressive they must be if they could build a ship so large.

The Citadel quickly became a mass of interest and action. News crews from various groups began gathering and trying to figure where the aliens would dock to get the first view of them. Merc groups, who had stayed on the station to see the aliens, vied with each other to find the best locations to see and judge their looks and skills. Scientists scrambled to try to get images of their technology, while professors and instructors of schools worked to try to get their students controlled, while secretly hoping for information on the new races culture and ideals. Above it all, Citadel Security, known more commonly as C-Sec, scrambled to try to control the masses while waiting for the information they needed. It was barely controlled chaos, and would not get any better until the new races dignitaries left the Citadel at the end of their upcoming negotiations and talks.

However, the ship did not react immediately, and for almost two hours, simply sat offside of the relay, out of the way of other ships, but still clearly in view. Then, much to many peopled excitement, the ship turned, and many noticed the approach of a much smaller, but strange looking ship toward the Citadel.

The ship itself was small, barely ninety meters long, and strange in its design and looks. It was shaped like a series of bubbles had been joined together, and a trio of engines roared from its stern, while two smaller engines sat near the front, hissing angrily. The ship had numerous fins that, when it approached the dock it had been directed to, closed down and slipped into the ship. By the time it had docked it had become clear where it would be, both from its direction, and the location of the majority of C-Sec, and the public had taken advantage of that, gathering in throngs. The balconies over the docks were filled, the adjacent docks were covered in people, as was the roadway just outside, too many for C-Sec to control if things became violent. The ambient feeling, however, was one of joy and curiosity, amplified by the ships strange look, especially when compared to the massive ship it had come from.

When the ship finished docking and shut down, many people were surprised that there was clearly no mass effect field visible, wither when it was landing or shutting off, and many others were confused when many Asari nearby began feeling dizzy or slightly sick for a moment, but all that was ignored as the centre part of the ship began opening to reveal a doorway. No ramp came out of it, and instead, two glowing points on either side of the door flashed and a ramp of glowing green and golden light seared down without a sound to the floor. Then the new race's dignitaries came out, surprising all who watched.

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Reimu stepped out of the scout class corvette first, taking in the sight of throngs of unknown aliens watching and scrambling for view of them and the ship. She was wearing a more traditional choice of clothing at Yukari's behest, a more current version of the classic Miko garments. Her hair was done up into a bun, leaving her neck uncovered as only two pieces of carefully held hair hung down on either side of her face. In her hand she held a long spear with strips of paper tied under the tip, a combat focused purification rod that was nearly as tall as she was. On the well-hidden belt of her Hakama she had a laser pistol tucked, surrounded by three wads of talismans, just in case. She exited the ship, came down and took up a position immediately in front of the ramp, blocking any from approaching with a neutral yet cold stare.

Sanae was the next to come out. She had opted to stay in her bodysuit, but had added some extra pieces of armour to it, focused on the legs, arms and back. Her hair was allowed to flow freely, and she held a beam rifle in her hands, one she had customized with a trio of revolving barrels. A pack of prepared Spellcards sat on a holder on her one leg, while a pack of her own talismans sat in a case on her waist. Following her was a floating metal arrowhead that flew around with its flat face forward, a bulge sitting there as a camera lens shifted every few seconds. She glanced around with obvious interest, but held back by the situation and the position she currently held.

Then Eirin came out. Unlike Reimu who dressed classically, and Sanae who was far more modern in her dress, Eirin was keeping a neutral middle ground. She was wearing a dark suit, complete with pants, shirt, and jacket, though she kept her hat. On her belt was a clearly visible pulse pistol, and in her right hand she held a bow made of metal, gears, motors and magical emitters and receivers. She glanced through her glasses at the surrounding aliens, taking mental notes as she stepped up to Reimu's' right, a couple feet behind.

The plan was to show off all the potential of the Alliance in its clothing and how they held themselves, and to promote this, each guard was dressed similarly to the one they were guarding. A fact that became clear as Yukari, Hackett and Kaguya all came out of the ship together.

Yukari was wearing a formal Kimono with a simple yet elegant Sakura pattern across it over a black base. The pattern was share by the classical wood and paper umbrella she had open over her shoulder and the fan she held in her other hand. Her hair was done up with a bun similar to Reimu's, but still had much hanging down across her back.

Kaguya was wearing a suit just like Eirin was, but hers was slightly more causal, the jacket being left open, and her pants looser than Eirin's. Her hair hung loose behind her, and she glanced around with an inquisitive gaze.

Hackett was wearing his Naval Uniform, perfectly cleaned and pressed. It was completely black with white trim on its edges. A pair of small medallions hung off his left breast, and the symbols of his rank were sown into the epaulets on his shoulders. His hair was immaculately combed back, and his shoes so shiny that light reflected off of them. What was most surprising for some, however, was that on Hackett's belt were a pair of objects that were clearly weapons. On his right was a holstered laser pistol, and on his left, a long silver sabre with glowing red lines across the length of its steel. He looked at everything with a slight scowl, as if giving demerits with his gaze alone.

Once the three of them had gotten off the ramp, it disappeared, and the ship closed, though it did not leave.

The dock had become quieter and quieter as they had each appeared, and now only faint murmurs could be heard as a trio of aliens, one Turian ,one Asari and one Salarian if their information had been correct, walked down toward them.

"There's quite a lot of them, isn't there?" Sanae said quietly as her camera drone slowly panned around according to her earlier commands. It would follow her and look around as its programming dictated, at least until she overrode its directives and focused it herself. It was not currently recording, but she wanted to give the impression it was. Just in case.

"Yes there is. I recognize most of the species from the information we had been given." Eirin replied equally as quiet so that her voice would not travel. "Most of them appear to be Turian, Asari and Salarians, however. They far outnumber the few Elcor, Hanar and Drell that I can see."

"I don't see any of the Krogan or Batarians." Reimu then stated as she glanced around, eyeing every alien she could make out, the three that were walking toward them nearly at them.

"That is probably for the better. We have more important things to do then compare images from their information." Hackett said simply.

"Indeed. We all know why we are here, so let us put on a good, show, yes?" Yukari said with a smile as the three aliens approached, the Turian taking the lead.

"Agreed." Kaguya and Hackett said, while Sanae, Eirin and Reimu simply nodded in understanding.

"Good." Yukari said with a smile as she stepped forward till she was to Reimu's side, but half a foot behind her. "Can you understand me correctly?" She asked as the Turian opened its mouth to speak.

"Y-yes, I can. The language data that arrived with our envoy was distributed to the public when news of your imminent arrival was released a couple days ago." The Turian replied. "My name is Executor Pallin, Head of Citadel Security. You are the leaders of your, Alliance, correct?"

"Yes, we are." Yukari said as she glanced to Kaguya and Hackkett."

"I see. Then these three are, guards, then?" Pallin asked, eyeing Sanae far more than Reimu or Eirin.

"Yes, they are our bodyguards, one for each of us, and armed as should be appropriate for the situation. I trust that will not be an issue?" Hackett asked sternly, his voice deep and cold as he looked at Pallin, not a shred of warmth in his eyes.

Both of the C-Sec officers behind Pallin visible leaned back under Hackett's glare, while Pallin did not seem effected as he spoke. "Yes, as long as they remain bodyguards and only act to protect your wellbeing, we will have no issues."

"Excellent, please lead us to your leadership then!" Kaguya exclaimed with a smile. "We look forward to meeting with the, and discussing much!"

"Of course, however before I guide you to the Council I must ask." Pallin said as he loked to the floating drone above Sanae. "What is the purpose of that drone?"

"It is a recording device. We hope to show our people what the rest of the galaxy looks like through these negotiations. Anything that must be done behind closed doors will of course not be recorded." Yukari answered calmly before smiling, hiding it behind her fan for a moment. "I trust that is not an issue either?"

"No, such things are often watched, as well as streamed to the masses." Pallin answered as he looked over both of his shoulders, then pulled up his Omni tool and tapped it a bit. "Then please follow me, we shall head to the Presidium, and from there to the Citadel Tower."

"Very well, please lead the way." Yukari replied as the six of them followed Pallin and his people up from the docks.

The masses of people had been pushed back by C-Sec officers, allowing a path to leave the docks. Many yelled and called out, asking for words on their culture, names and even secrets, telling them that their translation spell was working. Which was good considering it was effectively translating up to seven different languages at a time.

"We have gathered quiet a crowd," Kaguya said off handily as they all left the docks, the masses of people trying to follow despite C-Sec's interference.

"It is not every day that a new race becomes apparent to the rest of the galaxy. Many are interested as to what you will bring to council space." Pallin explained as they went down a series of halls.

"Indeed. Your people do not seem as, violent as I expected, however." Hackett ventured with a sideways grin. "They do not know the whole situation, do they?"

Pallin soured slightly at this. "It has been said that conflict broke out between our races and that the council stepped in before it could get out of hand. Information as to the situation beyond that has not been released outside of the council, the SPECTRE'S, and C-Sec."

"How fortunate. We wouldn't want your entire race out for our blood when we are here for peace after all!" Hackett said strongly, verbally pushing at Pallin and hoping for a reaction. Palling did not provide, saying just how strong his control was.

After another hall, and a short elevator ride, and another couple of hallways, the group came out into a large open area. The five 'wings' of the station were visible above them, and ahead of them was the tower that took up the centre of the station. Rings of waterfalls were clearly visible, and throngs of people were on balconies nearby, while a couple air cars hovered nearby, camera drones hovering alongside them while their reporters talked away to unfathomable number beyond the lens.

As they traveled around the Presidium, the Asari with them began explaining different facets of the Presidium and the Council and Citadel. She spoke gleefully, making everything sound very grand, but her tone was overbearing, like she was trying to explain it to children who did not understand, or as if she was being paid to make everything sound greater than it was.

"This Presidium is indeed very lovely, and the station itself is quite well designed." Kaguya suddenly said interruption the Asari's words. "But this station, it was not built by your people."

"N-no, it was built and left by the Protheans, the same ones who left us the mass relays." The Asari explained, still sounding the same as she spoke. "If not for them, space travel would not be attainable."

"A pity, your council would be more impressive if this station was made by your people." Kaguya said simply, making the Asari and Salarian look hurt as they all continued to move.

After a time, they finally arrive at the base of the massive tower, and approached a series of elevators one beside the other. They went in in groups of three, one C-Sec officer to each leader and their guard, with Pallin going with Yukari and Reimu, and then went up toward the top of the tower.

And up, and up and up and up. It was clear the tower was large, but the elevator seemed to go an order of magnitude slower than it should have been able to. And what made it worse was the music. It had no beat, had horrible tone, and made Reimu visibly cringe, unable to cope with the insult to beauty that was assaulting her ears.

"Is there was way to shut the infernal noise off?" Yukari finally asked Pallin.

"The music?" Pallin asked in surprise.

"Yes, if it can be called such."

"Um, no. the speakers cannot be controled from inside the elevator." Pallin explained.

"I see," Yukari said as she looked to Reimu, and then to the speaker above the door. "Reimu, if you would please?"

"With pleasure." Reimu replied as she pointed her open free palm at the speaker. An orange square covered in symbols appeared in front of her hand, spun, then flew at the speaker, striking it with a flash. For a moment nothing happened, and then the speaker sparked repeatedly, finally becoming silent.

"Did, you just destroy the speaker?" Pallin asked carefully.

"No, I sealed it. Good luck unsealing it though." Reimu said simply.

Pallin sighed to himself, hoping this was not a view of what was to come and waited in silence as the elevator continued to rise. Once it finally got to the top and they got off, they had to only wait a short few seconds for the other elevators to arrive, and when they did Pallin could tell from his subordinates faces that something similar must have happened to them. All the alliance guards looked pleased with themselves as well, something that made him nervous for reason he was not sure why.

"The council chambers are just ahead. Go up both sets of stairs and they will be directly ahead, waiting for your arrival." Pallin explained as he stepped to the side.

"Only reason they would be waiting is from that absurd elevator," Kaguya said offhandedly as the six Alliance personnel passed by Pallin and his people.

The council chambers were a large open area with large balconies to the sides. It expanded as it grew closer to the back, where a massive window took up the entire wall, showing off an arm of the station. A large recessed garden sat in the center of the floor, and over it, on an extending balcony, stood the three members of the Citadel Council. The room was clearly designed, both from elevation and the window, to make the council seem larger and more important than those who came to speak to them. As Yukari, Hackett and Kaguya stepped up below them, the chatter from above quieted, and Reimu, Sanae and Eirin took their places round them. Reimu held her position behind Yukari, while Erin and Sanae took up positions to either side.

"Thank you for coming to speak with us, Leaders of the Alliance!" Tevos began as she took a step forward. "I am Tevos, Asari councillor of the Citadel Council. Beside me are my fellow councillors, the Turian Councillor Spartacus, and the Salaraian Councillor Valern. It is my hope that this first meeting goes a ways to mending the horrible incident between our peoples and can set up a prosperous future for us all!"

Yukari let out a short and very quiet hum as she took a single step forward, her umbrella spinning slightly as she moved. "I am Yukari Yakumo, Youkai head of the Alliance."

"I am Kaguya Houraisen, Lunarian Head of the Alliance." Kaguya said as she too took a step forward, just before Hackett took a step forward as well.

"And I am Steven Hackett, the Human Head of the Alliance."

"The three of us form our governments' upper echelon, and are responsible for our people's biggest decisions, including the ones that will be made today." Yukari finished, noting how much each of the alien leaders stared at them, from their weapons to their similar garb and body structures.

"It is our sincere pleasure to make your acquaintances." Tevos replied with a smile. "I am sure we will be able to come to many, mutually beneficial agreements, but before we do I must ask-.."

"What is that thing floating by your guard?" Valern asked instantly, stopping Tevos from finishing on her own. If they were not in front of new dignitaries, she would have glared at him.

"It is simply a mobile recording device, which is recording our meeting and broadcasting it to our people, on this perfect occasion!" Ksguya answered, something in her tone making Tevos feel nervous.

"I see. That is understandable. Shall we begin our talks and negotiations in earnest then?" Tevos asked confidently, making sure she would be in charge.

"Yes. Let us begin with your military's unprovoked attack on our planet of Ahanxi!" Hackett spoke up, his voice loud and deep enough that it made the room seem to shake, yet still did not sound like anything more than his regular tone.

"Of course. The incident that started at Relay 314 was, a horrible situation." Tevos said carefully, "we have been looking in to it, and found that it was caused by a series of minor, yet serious mistakes and conflicting message between ship captains and the Turian high command. It was nothing more than an accident."

Tevos and Valern hoped these Alliance leaders would react to that, allowing them to explain the situation in detail, but instead, none of them said anything; simply looking at them, as if waiting for Tevos to finish.

"The situation is delicate, and while I am sure your people have lost as much as the Turians have, we are hopeful that you are willing to understand that it is as I said, an accident, and are willing to look past it." Tevos finished, hoping they would respond as she hoped with anger that would allow her to make them out to be reactive.

Instead of that however, Hackett took a step forward. "Your Turians are, according to the information you gave us, the military arm of your organization. While I shall ignore the point that your military is apparently over reactive, and sadistic, I shall point out that their surviving numbers surrendered to our people. They are on board the Whit Lotus. We are prepared to return them to you."

"That is excellent, and it will go a long way to repairing our relation and-.."

"But what exactly will you give us in return?" Hackett then interrupted, his face still stoic and unflinching.

"That will depend on the situation." Spartacus quipped. Your information has led us to believe that Hierarchy losses were steep. Just how step are they?"

Tevos groaned inside. She had been hoping to avoid this sort of conversation in the public eye. It was the kind of thing that should be reserved for private conversation. But at least the losses couldn't be as bad as they were led to believe. Right?

"Turian fleet losses totaled one hundred percent, while planet side losses for your people totalled seventy four percent. The number of Turian POWs in the White Lotus's hold is roughly twenty six percent of all Turian forces that made planet fall." Hackett explained simply, as if listing off a list of office supplies or groceries. His tone had never wavered, nor had it shown pride or hate. It simply was.

Hackett's words, simple and efficient, had cut all chatter from the balconies above them. Valern and Tevos had visibly paled, and Spartacus stood there, his mandibles spread and his mouth open in shock and disbelief as he tried to mentally calculate the losses in his head.

"Th-that seems highly unlikely." Tevos manage to cough out. "The Turian Hierarchy has the largest navy and army in Citadel space!"

"Then perhaps you should rethink your military tactics and technology." Hackett said simply as he brought up his arms and tapped his wrist comp a couple times until it projected an image of the space around Shanxi. "This is a recording of the battle between our fleet that arrived to liberate Shanxi, and your Hierarchies navy." He explained as it played out before them. Hundreds of ships, dozens easily dreadnaught in size, and so many colorful blasts that space was nearly flooded with them. Then came the Final Sparks flanking maneuver and it main guns firing sequence that destroyed the majority of the fleet. "Your losses in orbit of Shanxi were total."

Tevoa was speechless and looked over to Spartacus, to see him shaking, whether in fear or rage she could not tell though.

"What of your own losses then?" Valern asked curiously, the first one to shake off the information and the proof shown to them.

"Losses in orbit for our reinforcement fleet were only four percent, while the twelve cruisers in orbit around Shanxi to start were all destroyed with all hands lost." Hackett said, his voice still sowing not an ounce of emotion, good or bad. "Ground forces losses totaled just under six percent."

"Th-that is impossible!" Spartacus yelled out soddenly, surprising both Tevos and Valern. "That vid is obviously fake, and you are clearly giving us false information for some purpose!"

"The information I have given you is not incorrect." Hackett said simply. "It is truth, the truth of our little skirmish with your mislead and poorly prepared and trained excuse for soldiers!"

Mislead, poorly prepared, poorly trained! These words stung like a hot knife to Spartacus. Hearing those words used to describe his people, used to describe the Hierarchy, it made him wish he could just lash out at the alien before him, to take them out and disprove their words with his own claws. He was a councillor of the Turian Hierarchy however, and had to keep himself cool and composed as he could be. The real numbers of living would disprove, or prove, this aliens words, he just needed to make sure his people came home safe. That was his job right now. Making sure his people came home safe, and that these aliens were neutered so that such a thing could not happen again. "I see. Then the situation of reparations must be discussed next."

"There will be no reparations." Hackett said simply.

"Excuse me?" Spartacus asked, sure he had misheard.

"Your people started this incident and admit to such. You started it, yet also have the majority of the losses here, and it was your people who surrender and called you to put an end to this. As we are the damaged party here, normally we would be the ones to receive reparations. However, as your losses are so severe, it would feel wrong to force you to provide us with reparations, and as such there will be no reparations."

"You- you primitives destroyed Hierarchy property and personnel! You admit to doing such!" Spartacus roared in a sudden flash of anger. "It is you who will be paying us reparations, not the other way around!"

"Your reasoning is flimsy, Turian. Why would we give you reparation when we are the party who was attacked, and yet won?"

By this point Spartacus was fuming mad, but Valern took over, allowing Tevos to send him a glare that had obvious meaning. Calm down!

"While the Turians did act in a way which is unfortunate, the situation is that they reacted to one of your ships attempting to activate a dormant relay, something highly illegal under Citadel law." Valern said, changing the subject away from reparations, to something he knew they had the advantage with.

To his surprise however, Hackett took a step back, and Yukari stepped forward. "I have a question about that, if I may. The information we received explains much of your history, including the Rachni war, the reason why that law in question exists. However, the law stated, and I quote 'No Citadel race may open inactive mass relay's without authorization from the Citadel Council, as well as their own government.' Correct?"

"That is correct." Valrns replied. "Opening an inactive mass relay is a serious offence, and information we have received from you states you have opened at least five. Normally such actions are charged with heavy fines, jail and public service or many years when an individual opens a relay, for a government however to allow it and do so, the charges would be-"

"Your law does not affect us."

"I beg pardon?" Valern asked, surprised and confused by Yukari's words.

"We cannot follow, or intentionally break a law that we do not know exists. Similarly, your law explicitly states, 'no Citadel race, may open inactive mass relays.' We are not a Citadel race, and therefore, the law does not apply to us, nor could it apply to us when we opened them!"

"That may be accurate." Tevos stepped in, saving Valern from being unable to answer, "However opening inactive relays is a very dangerous act, and by doing so you potentially endanger the entire galaxy. As a race that shall soon join the galactic community, you would not want the rest of the galaxy to think you are out to endanger everyone else, yes?"

" _Ah, there it is!"_ Kaguya said in Japanese with a small laugh as she looked to Yukari and Hackett.

" _Indeed. They let the assumption loose soon than I expected."_ Hacked replied, his Japanese a slight bit broken, and far slower than Kaguya's.

" _It is alright. Now is as good a time as any for the big reveal."_ Yukari said with a grin, her Japanese far better than Hackett's. _"Besides, we did all that deciding on what questions would be asked, but I get the feeling half of them won't be needed. We might not even need to kill you, Kaguya!"_

" _That would be nice."_

"Um, I believe there is a problem with the language packages you passed to us," Tevos suddenly spoke up. "We cannot understand you at the moment."

"There is no problem." Yukari said with a smile. "The language package your envoy was given was for the language we call English. It is the primary language used by many of our people, and is the language we use for internship communication. Thus it seemed most prudent it be handed to you. The other languages of our people however, were not included with the package. We simply were speaking another language."

"What?! Why would you not give us information on all your languages?" Tevos asked in surprise. "How do you expect to join the galactic community if not all of your people can speak to others?"

"The vast majority of our people are trilingual at the very least." Yukari said with a smile as she raised her umbrella, closed it and flipped it before slamming its flat head against the floor with a loud crack. She looked up at them, her eyes now filled with something they did not understand, and her voice like cool glass. "However, you assume too much. The Alliance has come here to discuss negotiations for peace, not to be roped into your pathetic excuse for government!"

Yukari's words rocked the council hall into complete silence. No one moved. No one spoke a word, and no one even blinked at the shock of her statement.

"That , that is. . . . . . May I ask why you would state such a thing?" Tevos asked nervously after many moments, "many races petition for years to receive an embassy and join the council after all.

"We have three primary reason for this decision." Yukari stated as she stowed her fan and held up three fingers, as if explaining numbers to a child. "The first is your government. You claim that races petition to join the council, but in reality, they are not joining, they are allowing themselves to be controlled by you. Asari, Turian, Salarian, Volus, Elcor, Hanar, Drell, and Batarians. There are eight species in your government, but only three of them have councillors that make decisions that affect everyone. Three controlling eight, is hardly a fair split."

"That is not-," Valern began to say, before Yukari continued.

"In comparison, the Alliance is comprised of three species, and each of us acts as an advocate for that species, making decisions that benefit all. From looking at your codex information, the majority of choices you make seem to benefit just three races. And I will give you one guess as to who those three races are."

"That is an outrageous and absurd insult!" Spartacus called out in anger.

Yukari stepped back, and Hackett stepped forward. "Is it? Your military treaties, specifically the Treaty of Firaxen, state that member species may not build above a certain number of, what you classify as dreadnaughts. Your people, the Turians are at the top of the pyramid, with the Asari and the Salarians below them, and everyone else holding the bottom layer. This means that the Volus for example, can only have a fifth of what the Turian can have. Even with all the lower ranked races together, your three races alone could outnumber them all twice over."

"The Treaty of Firaxen is to allow the Turians to fulfill their role as galactic peacekeepers. Limiting the number or dreadnoughts allows this balance to be kept." Valern provided.

"Yes, and I understand this." Hackett said, surprising Valern "it is very similar to an old treaty of my people, the Washington Naval Treaty. All it did however, was make different groups endeavor to make ships more powerful, and did nothing to prevent an all-out war. Other treaties you have as well, that limit council races military sizes, prevent them from protecting themselves. By doing this, you make them dependent upon your military, and a force with no ability to protect itself will be used and tossed away when it most needs protection."

"That is to..-" Tevos tried to explain.

"Keep the balance of power, yes I understand that." Hackett again interrupted as he continued. "However, your balance keeps coming back to only your three races. Your three races control the council, your three races hold the greatest military power."

"And then there is the situation pertaining to how you treat those under your wings." Kaguya said as she stepped forward, Hackett stepping back and looking, fearful?

"What do you speak of?" Tevos asked carefully. "All races that are part of the Citadel receive equal treatment and are well cared for."

"Rabbit shit!" Kaguya said as she brought up her wrist comp and began tapping it, bringing up some data for her to quickly parse. "The Quarian people were once part of your government, however with the creation of the Geth, and their war with them, you cut them loose and refused to help them!"

"The Quarians created AI that ruined their own forces. They broke Citadel law and paid for it!" Spartacus said instantly.

Kaguiya smiled. "They broke one law, on accident, and you react by cutting them loose. The information you gave us also reports that you refuse to let them settle again anywhere in space, forcing them to stay as nomadic drifters, a life that has compromised their immune systems."

"The Quarians broke Citadel law and-" Valren began to explain.

"The Quarians have a compromised immune system and are unable to colonize worlds due to fear of your people forcing them off, wasting all of their efforts. Additionally, your people consider them vagrants, ruffians and little less than scavengers, despite being responsible for their situation!" Kaguya interrupted loudly, seeming very heated.

"None who made that order are present here, so it is hardly our own fault." Spartacus argued.

"That is true." Kaguya said with a scowl. "None of you put them in that situation, but judging from the amount of time passed, and the information on a Quarians nominal lifespan, none of them alive today were responsible for their situation either. Neither them, their parents or their grandparents are responsible for the Geth. So why do you continue to hold them to a slow and painful extinction?"

The council was deathly silent at this. No one had defended the Quarians in decades, and the way she said it, it was impossible to answer without it sounding cold and cruel. They had been cornered, but they had to say something!

Then Tevos had an idea. "The Quarians that currently live may not have been responsible, but it is the actions of their ancestors that still endanger many as the problem of the Geth has never been dealt with. It would have been morally wrong to let them get away with such a thing, and not suffer for their actions, or the actions of their ancestors. They needed to see what happens when you endanger the galaxy as a whole!"

"It would be morally wrong, huh?" Kaguya asked as her scowl turned into a disgust ridden sneer. "Then please explain the situation with the Batarians! You have a race in your government that practices slavery, of all disgusting acts!"

"Slavery is illegal in Citadel space and the Batarian people do not take slaves from Council races." Tevos said quickly, hoping to stop the conversation there, before the Batatian ambassador who was up on the balconies began shouting and screaming.

"They practice slavery, and they have to get those slaves from somewhere! It is not hard to tell that in all likely hood they acquire slave by paying off pirates, or simply by kidnapping the lesser of society who would not be missed. They practice slavery, and likely have many of every other race's people as slaves, and you allow this to continue!"

"Slavery is an important facet of the Batarian Caste system and culture! Do not speak as if you understand, Alien!" The Batarian Ambassador spat out in hate and anger from the balcony above.

In response, much to everyone's shock and horror, Eirin aimed her bow and pulled back its string, an arrow of purest golden light forming against it, aiming directly at the Batarian Ambassador. "You are not part of this conversation, and I will not have my lady be forced to speak to a slaving monster!" Eirin said coolly, causing everyone on the balcony to back away from the Batarian.

Tevos noticed the warping images of their cloaked guards moving to intercept, and hoped an incident would not occur, but it seemed her worries, at least from someone being shot, were ill founded.

"Eirin, please don't start killing people." Kaguya said casually, as if she did not care, and in that exact second the golden arrow had disappeared, and Eirin was standing as she had been before, her bow at her side faster than anyone could notice.

"Ahem, continuing, what the Batarian ambassador said is true. Slavery is part of their culture, and the Citadel does not intend on altering any races culture no matter how others may see it. As to the slaves, I will say again, they do not practice slavery, or take slaves in Citadel space!" Tevos said clearly, noticing the Batarian ambassador smiling at that.

"You allow a race to practice slavery, yet devastate an entire races culture by forcing them to be nomads when their own planet was the only one naturally able to keep them in good health, and over an accident?" Kaguya countered and then grinned. "And then of course, there is the cultural devastation, and complete lack of morals on the issue called the Krogan!"

This set off the entire hall in an instant. The Krogan were beasts, blood crazy mercenaries and killers, that's all they had ever proven to be, what could this alien possibly have to say about them?

What surprised and worried Tevos however, was the fact that Hackett and Yukari took a couple of steps back, as did all three guards. What exactly was going to happen?

"The Korgan needed to be put down for the safety and security of the galaxy. I'm sure you've read the history on it and understand as such!" Spartacus said surely making Tevos scream in the back of her head, horrified that he took the bait so easily. It was clearly a trap, and now they had been caught!

"Oh, I agree with you." Kaguya said, causing the entire hall to become as silent as the grave in less time than it took for even Valern to realize what was just said. "I do agree that the situation was dire, and that it had to be dealt with before numerous worlds were reduced to unlivable hunks of rock and asteroid fields. What I do not agree with, is the way it was done. The Genophage, is wrong on so many levels I feel disgusted just repeating its name!"

"What?! the Genophage was not wrong! It was the only viable option!" Valern exclaimed immediately.

Tevos vocally groaned and leaned back slightly. It was impossible. Kaguya had said all the right words to get both Spartacus and Valern into the argument. There was no way to escape. It was now just a case of seeing how she argued it. Perhaps there was a way to still salvage the situation?

Kaguya looked at Valren and, much to Tevos fear, smiled. "Tell me, Councillor, as the council of the race that developed the weapon in question, what does it do? Pray tell us, tell all of us here what your people's weapon does!"

"The Genophage limits the Krogans ability to reproduce out of control by making only one in every thousand Krogan pregnancies viable." Valern answered simply.

"And how does it do that?" Kaguya pressed.

"It, makes only one if every thousand-.." Valern began repeating again, before Kaguya yelled out.

"Eirin, bring up a hologram!" Kaguya yelled out, a hologram appearing above them at Eirin's command, showing what could only be a dead mass of unrecognizable flesh. "The data you gave us explained what you just said. The Genophage makes viable pregnancies few and far between, but not by reducing fertility rates! Instead children are still formed in the womb, but many end up stillborn, or miscarriage before that! Do you know what that means!?"

"It means their numbers do not increase needlessly fast." Valern answered unemotionally.

Which drove Kaguya into a frenzy. "It means that the women who try and try to have children never have them! They are given the hope of a child, only for it to be dashed upon the rocks! Their children die in the womb, or even worse, come out stillborn, dead as they are born, or even already dead and beginning to rot!" Kaguya screamed as she then pointed at Tevos. "I doubt these men understand the concept, but as a mono gendered species, you can give birth to children, can you not, Councillor Tevos?"

"I- I can."" Tevos answered, terrified at what Kaguya was getting at, and that she was being brought into the argument that was more one sided than she was willing to vocally admit.

"Tell me, Councillor Tevos," Kaguya asked, her tone now motherly and warm, worried and sad. "if you had a child. How much would it break your heart for it to be stillborn? How much would it hurt you to hold the form of your dead child, knowing they never had a chance to live?"

Tevos's heart dropped in the same instant she felt the words eat away at her. Either deny it and seem like a cold and cruel monster who would be hated by thousands of her people, or agree and receive the ire of her peers. This was no option, not one she was willing to even consider making. There was not two options, only one. "I would be heartbroken. Mortified. I would look at her form and cry at all that she could have been, but never can." Tevos said as she recalled the day her daughter died, caught in a construction accident on the way home from school years ago, Barely twenty. Taken away in a single flash, never to smile, cry, love, or live again. She could not stop tears from forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Do you hear that?" Kaguya said with a hiss as she glared at Valern and Spartacus, while pointing at Tevos. "She understands! The Genophage does that to nine hundred and ninety nine children out of a thousand! That means nine hundred and ninety nine Krogan women are being made to watch as their children are pulled out of the womb dead! That means nine hundred ninety nine women hold the forms of their dead children who will never speak, never learn to walk, never learn, never fight, argue, or love! Let that sink in for a second as you see one woman, with tears in her eyes at the very thought of it, and realize you are doing worse than just giving the thought of it to NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE WOMEN ON A REGULAR BASIS!" Kaguya screamed, her voice echoing around the hall.

Hackett merely glanced down at the floor, muttering and cursing at the idea of such a disgusting weapon, if it could even be called that. He would never truly understand it as a woman would, but he understood it as much as a man could, and the idea of holding a child that could be his, dead in his arms, made him shiver.

Kaguya waited a few moments as she calmed down her breathing and then stood back up straight, glaring poison coated daggers at Valern. "What your people created is nothing more of a mountain of bodies, a mountain made of the hopes of mothers, their love, and their children's dashed chances. Can you still say it was necessary?"

Silence reigned in the hall as everyone awaited the answer. Everyone expected Valern to say it, but instead Spartacus spoke up. "The Genophage was the only viable option to put down the Krogan!" he said sternly, though his voice cracked a bit, making it clear her words were forced.

Kaguya took a couple steps toward the councillors until she was at the edge of the recessed garden and then, much to everyone surprise floated up until she was level with the councillors. Floating was not unheard of because of biotics, but there was no biotic glow, no glow or field of any kind around her, she simply floated. "You are wrong! It was not the only viable option! Fertility rates could have been changed to meet the exact same need, without the loss of life, without a mountain of children's corpses!"

"The Krogan would simply have proceeded to mate more to make up for the lowered fertility rates!" Valern spoke up, earning Kaguya gaze.

"Please. Manipulating fertility rates is far easier and there are far more options that, when combined, would equal a better more long term answer. Reduce fertility rates to lower how many children are born quickly. Then alter the gestation period so they are not born as quickly. You could even alter other genetics to make the Krogan slightly less resilient, making protecting their children more important than teaching them to kill off the bat. Coupled with education programs, teaching, and an actual government structure their people could have become respected, and still powerful without being so numerous they were a danger to everyone including themselves. Face the truth. Your people did not make the Genophage to cull their numbers, you made it to prove you could." Kaguya said as she turned to Spartacus. "And your people did no deploy it because it was the only option. You deployed it out of spite, as revenge for the worlds they destroyed! You uplifted the Krogan to fight, then when they got too proficient at it you neuter and torment them for generations, watching them devolve back to what they were before you uplifted them and call it the results of their actions when it is the direct result of your actions!" Kaguya seemed to finish as she turned around and floated back down to Hackett and Yukari, then turned back around as she landed back on the floor.

Low murmurs, accusations and worries were all the noise that was heard in the hall as those on the balconies began realizing what had just happened, and how seriously their ideals had been shaken. Tevos herself had never given the Genophage much thought. She had always been told the Krogan were dangerous, and had met Asarai who had fought in it and told her stories. She had never considered what it meant for the Krogan females, because very few people ever even saw Krogan females. And now she knew why. A mountain piled high with the bodies of children dead from the womb, that image haunted her mind, and she was sure she would not forget it anytime soon.

"Now then." Yukari suddenly spoke up, sounding no word for wear, as if she was completely unaffected by what had just happened. "Those are the primary reason we will not, under any circumstanced be joining your council. We do not trust your governments design. We do not trust the ability your laws carry, or their ability to control effectively, and we do not under any circumstance agree with past decisions that your people have made, and will therefore, not now, or likely ever join your government!"

"We are however willing to consider limited trade of goods and technology, and are willing to respect the boundaries of your space as long as the boundaries of our own space is respected." Hackett added.

"We are even willing to leave an ambassador to help organize these, as well as to facilitate trade of knowledge efficiently and act as a liaison between our peoples." Kaguya then said, seemingly finishing their statement.

"An ambassador would require an embassy." Spartacus said seriously. "Embassies on the Citadel are given only to races that join the council!"

"Then how shall you contact us, speak of future trade agreements, or even consider information and technology trades?" Yukari asked with a smile. "These are our demands in that situation. We will leave an ambassador, but we will not be joining your council. If you cannot agree to that, then we shall not speak to your people, and the next time any council ship appears within range of our sensors, it will mean unilateral war with your people not coming out on top!"

Tevos looked to Spartacus and Valern, the three of them coming to a quick and silent agreement, anything else would be far too costly even if these leaders were lying. "Very well, the Citadel Council will allow the Alliance to have an embassy on the Citadel to facilitate communication with your people, as well as to organize goods and technology trading, and the Alliance will. . . not be considered to be part of the Citadel Council."

For the first time since its creation, a race gained an embassy on the Citadel, without conforming to the majority of its rules.

At that point the negotiation actually turned into negotiations, deciding upon mundane, yet important matters that worried many.

Trade would begin with simple basic raw resources, though the exact resources were not discussed. Trade of technology would not occur until the Alliance was content and believed that the council could understand it, yet they did not speak upon what this was. And more in-depth information about the Alliance would be given and allowed to be disseminated among the councils populace so they could learn about them.

Questions were answered on both sides, but again, technology was ignored and avoided by the Alliance, as if it was a poison.

Then they came to space. Both groups would respect each other's territories, and while the Batarian ambassador vocally shouted against it, the Council suggested offering an area on the edge of the terminus to the Alliance, as incentive to not open any more mass relays so that they could still expand.

The Alliance however declined, saying they had all the space they needed and that opening relays was something they did only for exploration. That was when Valern picked up on it, the avoidance of anything about their technology, and the way they spoke about the mass relays.

"May I ask a question?"Valern asked politely, having quickly learned earlier that being blunt and just expecting them to answer would lead to losing strength in his knees.

"Of course." Yukari replied warmly.

"Our negotiations have avoided technology, and I understand your worry of giving us technology, though I personally believe that our level of advancement is similar. What piques my interest however, is the way you speak of the mass relays. You stated you only use them for exploration, but that would be impossible, otherwise how would you have arrive here at the Citadel if not by the relay?"

"Aw, fuck." Kaguya uncharacteristically swore to herself, though the councillors did not quite get an accurate intent or meaning behind the word.

"That sums it up pretty accurately, actually." Hackett said with a sigh of resignation.

"Um, what?" Tevos asked, clearly as confused as the rest of the council was by the Alliances reactions.

Yukari let out a sigh. "We were hoping to leave this in the dark as long as possible honestly. You see, the information we received on your cultures told us one thing that was majorly important, because our technology did not mirror it. We do not utilize the mass relays for our regular ships, in fact only our explorations vessels use them specifically to chart area of space to act as calculation points."

"What?" Spartacus asked in confusion.

"Perhaps I should explain." Kaguya stated with a sigh as she a step forward. "The Alliance does not utilize the mass relays because we instead utilize a different technology not based on Element Zero."

"That is impossible. Space flight and FTL are impossible without Element Zero!" Valern said stoically.

"Well, that is where you are wrong." Kaguya claimed as she brought up a hologram of a strange octagonal block. "This is a MAGTECH Reactor, the basis for all power in our civilization. I won't go into the details of how it works, besides the fact that it powered primarily by a generator grade Hakkero and a Lunarian style neutron pulse fusion containment reactor. And before you ask, I will not explain the later one. I will however explain one facet of what a Hakkero is, because it is why we have been avoiding speaking of it."

Valern waited for Kaguya to continue, and after a bare three second could wait no longer. "And, what is it?"

"A Hakkero is a magical reactor." Kaguya said simply, causing Valern to look at her like she had just said something absurd. And to the council, she had.

"A, magical, reactor? . . . like, wave your hand, make lightning rain down from a cloudless sky?" Tevos asked in confusion.

Kaguya shrugged. "That would be a simple enough spell to cast from it with the right tooling and weapons systems. When casting electrical magic you have to be sure your insulation is set correctly, otherwise you can fry things you didn't intend to when you fire it, but yes."

" . . . .Why lie now?" Valern asked after a moment.

Kaguya growled in annoyance as she snapped her fingers, producing a small ball of fire that sparked and flared up at random. It floated a foot above her hand as she held it up in front of her to the council. "Go on, scan it. You'll find absolutely nothing metal woven into my suit or hidden in my sleeves!"

Valern and Spartacus both pulled out their Omni tools and began scanning, their faces becoming more confused and furious as they did.

"This is impossible!" Spartacus exclaimed.

Valern however was more curious than disbelieving. "How, heat magnification, no, nothing to amplify, no wires, no source of fuel . . . how?" he asked looking at Kaguya who was now smiling at them.

"Magic!" She replied with a short laugh. "I am not lying either. Magic is a natural and widespread part of our culture and heritage. A total of eighty one percent of our population can currently use magic, and that amount goes up each decade. The MAGTECH Reactor is powered by magic and fusion, allowing us to produce such absurd amounts of power that in some cases we actually need to figure out what to do with it all. One MAGTECH reactor the size of a warehouse produces enough power for anywhere from a dozen small cities, to two large ones." Kaguya explained before she brought up a hologram of the Final Spark, and the video of it firing its main gun. "The Final Spark, the operative dreadnaught that decimated the Hierarchy fleet. Its main gun is powered by no less than eight MAGTECH Reactors, while most ships utilize only one and sometimes two!"

"That, that is . . . you must go through massive amounts of fuel to power such things then, yes?" Valern asked curiously.

"No. The joy of combining magic and technology is that the fusion reaction is partially empowered by the Hakkero, and the Hakkero empowered by the fusion reaction. The two feed off of and feed each other. Once a MAGTEH reactor is switched on it creates power indefinitely, and does not stop."

Valern thought about the repercussion of such a technology in his head at blazing speed. They needed no fuel. They did not use Element Zero. They could make ships larger than them because they did not need to create mas effect fields around them. They could make weapons that were magnitudes greater because they had the power to run them. They could power their entire civilization for nearly nothing except for the resources needed to make one of those machines! Meanwhile council races had to constantly mine for Element Zero for their ships, weapons and basic technology, and had to constantly gather helium three for ship engines. If what they said was true, they were limited only in how many resources they could gather to build with, they had no need for specialized resources to keep their ships and technology going! But-.."May I ask then how you travel through space? If what you say is true your ships have no need for power, but I doubt even your engines can move a ship fast enough to reach speeds similar to those of the mass relays."

"While our ships can move startling fast when necessary, that is true. For our FTL needs we utilize a highly advanced device called a boundary slip drive. It, in simple terms, slips the ship it is built into out of the regular flow of existence, moves it across nonexistence, and then deposits it back into existence by utilizing boundary principals and the power provided by its MAGTECH Reactor."

"What is, boundary principal?" Tevos asked, not sure I she wanted to understand.

To their surprise, Kaguya took a step back, and Yukari stepped forward. "Boundary principal is the study and understanding of how effecting an objects of person boundaries and borders of their being can manipulate who and what they are, as well as were and how. For example-," she said as she pulled out her folded fan and swung it beside her, creating a purple and black line in the air that opened up into a Sukima, and then stepped in and disappeared. "By creating a boundary between two places, one can move where they are, and how planes of existence affect them!" came Yukari's voice. After a moment of looking, the council noticed her, on the wall above one of the balconies, standing there as if it was normal with another Sukima behind her. She then stepped back through it, appearing back on the floor as if it was completely natural, a small yet disturbing smile on her face.

"Wha- how?" Spartacus gaped in shock as he looked up to the wall where Yukari had been and back to the floor where she again stood. He could still see the small scuff marks from her shoes on the wall, forty feet up!

"Boundary principal research is originally base of my own breed of capabilities as a youkai, and while some things can take time, most of our capabilities can be recreated with the right application of technology and magic."

"Your capabilities as a Youkai," Tevos said carefully. " I know the information you provided us with explained that there were three different races among your species, but . . . . . are your species simply a subspecies of the same race? All three of you do look the same after all."

The reaction Tevos received from this was unexpectedly Kaguya, and Hackett sighing while they then glared at the floor, and Yukari looking amused. "We are indeed all different species here. The situation however is, complicated."

"Complicated how?" Valern asked.

"Complicated because of the genetic situation between our races." Kaguya supplied. "Lunarians evolved upon the moon of Earth, called Luna, while Humans and Youkai evolved upon Earth itself. Youkai have the most physical difference, as Youkai is more of a catchall term for humanoid sentient magical creatures. All three of our races look similar however and can procreate with the others to a certain extent despite our differing biology's."

"So you are saying that your three races evolved mostly separate from each other, but can still procreate despite not being the same race?" Tevos asked in surprise. She had never heard of that ever happening, as the Asari's situation was drastically different, more akin to biologically augmented cloning.

"That is the case, yes. We believe that our magic has something to do with it, but the truth eludes us to this day."

Valern tapped at his Omni tool a bit and then tilted his head before speaking up. "Your focus on magic actually brings up a point I would like to ask upon. While I am, very unbelieving that it is truly magic, is it perhaps why your people do not use Element Zero?"

"We don't use Element Zero because we have no need for it." Hackett answered quickly.

"Yes but there must be a better reason. Eezo is very useful and technologically superior to many other technologies. Surely using it alongside you other technologies would be to your benefit, yes?"

Yukari and Hackett stared at Kaguya, who for a couple moments refused to look at them, then did with a growl. "Really, you're going to make me explain it?"

"Why not, it is your area or expertise technically." Hackett said simply.

Kaguya sighed and then looked at the council. "Allow me to explain then. Element Zero does not occur on Earth. We never encountered until we found a Prothean data cache, with a small amount of Element Zero in its stores. However the reason we do not use Element Zero, or more accurately, stay as far away from it as possible, is because it is highly dangerous to us."

"Element Zero is naturally dangerous, more in its dust form, but as long as it is contained there is no danger, why avoid it?" Valern asked quickly.

"Because Element Zero is poison to any person with magic." Kaguya said with a sigh as she brought up a hologram showing cells, magic, Eezo and their effects. It was not pretty. "Element Zero and magic do not play well together, they end up trying to break down each other. Even worse, mass effects fields created by Eezo can cause a subatomic buildup of Eezo against magic that slowly begins to deteriorate it. We call it contamination, and contamination sickness can kill, but before it does there is such a long list of negative effects I feel ill just from thinking about them all."

"Then how are you here then?!" Tevos asked in worried realization. "The Citadel is powered and held aloft and together by mass effect fields!"

Kaguya raised an arm, showing off the silver bracelet that sat on her wrist. "Our scientists managed to recently create this bracelet. It creates a field around the wearer that negates and redirects Element Zero particles. It also reflects large scale mass effect fields, allowing us to be here on your station without getting Eezo contamination."

"Will it, defend your bodies from biotics?" Tevos asked, curious as to the bracelets possible uses.

"No, and maybe." Kaguya said swiftly, "in short, we do not believe so, but have no way of testing this, or the desire to at this time. These are the first versions of these bracelets so we believe more work on them could allow us to make bracelets that do block biotics, internal or external."

"I have a question then." Spartacus suddenly said, stopping Tevos from pressing the biotics issue further. "You do not use Element Zero, and your logic as to why is, allowable. What do you do when you find it then?"

No one answered for a moment, Kaguya going as far as avoiding looking at anyone and staring at the floor. Finally after a minute of uncomfortable silence Hackett spoke up. "Our ships, while they protect the crew from Eezo, are affected by it if they pass through a cloud of it. It can horribly damage our engines and power systems, so many of our operatives have taken to searching the substance out. . . .And destroying it with extreme prejudice!"

This information completely horrified the council and everyone watching from above. Element Zero was a valuable resource for all of council space, for them to admit to seeking it out specifically to destroy it was . . . . devastating.

"You actively destroy Element Zero! What are you thinking!?" Spartacus screamed in horror and disgust.

"Yes." Kaguya said simply as she tapped her Wrist comp. "to date our operatives have destroyed approximately . . . let me calculate this . . . ., roughly twelve thousand kilotons of space form Element Zero."

"By the goddess." Tevos muttered as she noticed something that hadn't been spoken of. "What are these, operatives you speak of? Are they some form of special forces for your military?"

Hackett took a step forward. "Operatives are the best of the best of our forces, working solo, or in groups as leaders. They span all lots of life and skill sets. The closest comparison would be they are our version of your Spectre's, though operatives must follow some regulation. Operative that have above certain power threshold can commission their own dreadnoughts. The one outside is one such ship. Additionally, all three of our guards here are operatives, some of the best I might add."

"You're saying these; people are equivalent to the Spectre's? Spartacus asked with a scowl. "Ridiculous!"

"Perhaps. Sanae, care to prove this fact?" Hackett asked out loud.

A moment Later Sanae stepped forward with a smile and bowed to the council. "Greetings! My name is Sanae Kochiya, a Miko and Operative of the Alliance." Sanae said with a smile that felt extremely honest and personable, something strange considering how the Alliance heads acted.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. May I ask why you operatives are considered so skilled, and thought of so highly?"

"Of course." Saane said as she pulled out a number of paper talisman and threw them into the air above her. For a moment they just fluttered but then much to everyone's shock they darted all across the hall, flying each in their own direction and slapping themselves onto the air at the edges of the hall. A half second later, the talismans did their job and completely disabled the cloaking, revealing a dozen very surprised Spectres in full armor, all of them holding riffles at the ready, and not fully sure how to react. "As an example, there are your spectres that have been in the hall cloaked the entire time, ready to act on a single of your words. The talismans I have placed on them completely stop their cloaking from activating. Would you like another piece of proof?"

"As long as it does not kill or injure anyone, then yes." Spartacus said, curious as to what else she would do though finding all the spectres present in one go was impressive as it was.

Sanae smiled as she snapped a finger. Instantly every spectre froze up, falling over onto the ground like a frozen block. "My talismans have now completely locked their armour and bodies in a short lived stasis that will end in one minute, with no adverse effects."

The council looked at Sanae in shock, then looked back at Hackett as he stepped forward and spoke. "Operatives are our ultimate forces, individuals who strike in the shadows, leaders who command mighty armies and entire ships capable of devastation, and those in between who do what must be done while following the rules set down for them. Operatives are our best defence, and I can say this with complete surety, that if any of your spectres try anything in our space, they will answer to our operatives!"

With this statement as a primer, the talks and negotiations between the Citadel Council and the Alliance, slowly came to a close as the last few things were talked about and decided. Information on the Alliance and Council would be shared to each other, but cultural and technology on the Alliance would be limited for a time as they rebuilt. No council ship was to be allowed in Alliance space for a time of up to nine Alliance months to enforce this, and trade relations and information dispersal was to be handled by an ambassador from the Alliance who would arrive in a month.

Additionally, specters were not to be sent into Alliance territory under any circumstance but due to their position the council itself would not be charged if they were found and killed in Alliance space.

The negotiation came to an end with peace, and the surviving Turians returned to the Citadel by a long line of shuttled from the White Lotus, many bearing horror stories of the Alliances capabilities, and fantasies of their impossible abilities. These stories became prime boosters for the information on the Alliance, which was re-given to the Citadel Council, cementing the fact that, as much as many wanted them to be, they were not lying.

The Alliance left as quickly as they came, leaving knowledge and imminent chaos in their wake as the entirety of Council space was given access to the information on them.

And began forming opinions.

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Codex –

The Hourai Elixer – the elixir made by Erin Yagokoro by utilizing cutting edge science, magic, and Kaguya Houraisens power over eternity, it is a forbidden elixir that imparts true immortality, the user cannot die, become sick or age in any way, natural or magical. Little is known about it as it is a touchy subject for the three known immortals who have consumed it, but what is common knowledge is that it grants immortality, and that those granted immortality from it cannot reproduce in any way or form.

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Bio – Hackett

Name: Steven Hackett

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 224

Power rank: E

Class: 0

Class Specifics: is capable of commanding near infinite numbers of units from a command zone that is well provided with accurate intelligence.

Powers: None.

Capabilities/ skills: Perfect tactical analysis. Perfect strategic knowledge. Skilled supply skills. Public speaking, infantry, armour and naval tactics.

Bio: A Consummate Military man ,whose family reaches generation back, Steven Hackett joined the navy as a simple soldier, and climbed the ranks at a startling pace. During the breaking of the border he proved to be a tactically sound commander when taking control of a force that usurped it commander, and cowed them down with commands and words alone.

He is known as a very serious and rigid man, but is not above taking actions before waiting for orders or for taking action In such a way that weaken others.

It is said that his commands can make anyone listen, regardless of their position, authority or ideals.

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Bio – Kaguya

Name: Kaguya Houraisen

Race: Lunarian (immortal)

Gender: F

Age: over 1700. does not keep accurate track of age. (immortal)

Power rank: A

Class: 2

Class Specifics: can command others, but her brash and insensitive way or ordering others leave much to be desired and few wish to comply with her directives. Those in R&D have learned to ignore her tone, as she speaks more carefully with them than with others.

Powers: Manipulation of time, the moment, and eternity.

Capabilities/ skills: Technical skills. Organizational skills. Understanding of others capabilities. High learning skills. Research skills.

Bio: The same Princess Kaguya as the one told about in the story of the bamboo cutter, Kaguya is an immortal who has existed for nearly two thousand years. With her natural ability over eternity she asked Eirin, who was at the time the Lunarian royal physician, to create an elixir of true it was created and the two of them took it however the Lunarins considered it heresy, and exiled her and Eirin to earth where they could not affect the Lunarian peoples.

The two of them came to Gensoyko, dealt with repeated attacks from Lunarian special ops forces, and found themselves in a situation that was not wholly hated. Until Mokou came about, then things got enjoyable, at least for Kaguya.

When the bounder of Gensokyo broke, Kaguya used her rank, and Eirin's intellect to help human nations deal with the fallout, and when the alliance was formed, was nearly demanded to serve as the Lunarian head, while still being considered exiled regardless.

Since then, she has taken to her position well, taking teaching from Eirin as needed to put herself among other R&D members in intelligence.

She is known to be intelligent and focused n her position, but carefree unless working, or when something strikes her fancy or anger.

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Bio – Yukari

Name: Yukari Yakumo

Race: Youkai

Gender: Female

Age: age unknown. Expected to be well over 1900, possibly older.

Power rank: S

Class: 1

Class Specifics: can command most anyone, through direct order or manipulation. The latter causes sever disgruntlement to her person, and she prefers to not command unless absolutely necessary.

Powers: Manipulating of borders boundaries and conceptual

Capabilities/ skills: High level intellect. Information gathering, manipulation. Economic knowledge. Emotional understanding.

Bio: The Youkai that some say is both responsible for Gensokyo's creation, and it destruction, Yukari Yakumo is one who never lets anything slip, unless she wants it to slip. She prepared the outer world for Gensokyo's destruction and magic's rejoining of the world, and prepared and negotiated with the Lunarians, making her instrumental in the creation of the alliance.

Little is known about her or her personal life besides the fact that Ran Yakumo, a Kitsune, acts as her familiar and has a familiar of her own, and that Lady Yuyuko Saigyouji, Ibuki suika and Reimu Hakurei are onsidered to be her friends.

She is considered to be highly intelligent and manipulative, always knowing more than she lets on.

 **Next chapter – Opinions and arrivals.**


	16. CH16 - Opinions and Arrival

**Citadel Forum/ message Board 1276**

 **Forum title – Thoughts on the Alliance.**

 **There are currently 1284 users online.**

Ingenious blue: Just like the title says people, I'm curious as to what everyone thinks of the Alliance. Since they came a week ago everyone has had access to the information they shared with the Council, and its, well it's really something, so I want to know what others think of it!

Gethim the slightly quick: Curious mixed with worry. The alliance come and makes demands of the Council and gets away with it.

Atrivus 337: You haven't seen the video of them blowing apart a whole hierarchy fleet, have you?

Jethom61: Really? That is obviously a hoax! Sure, they had a big ship, but that's probably all they have! There's no way the death count was what they said. It's all one giant lie and a cover up!

Atrivus 337: My friend lost his bother to that hoax then! Its real, the Hierarchy has even released confirmed numbers of how many dead there are. Too many!

Asarimaiden 12: Really, you believe the idea that they have a giant ship with a galactic death laser like In the vids?

Ingenious blue: They did make a ship nearly the size of the Destiny Ascension without using Eezo. Anything's possible really, right?

Future master 43: My family works in shipbuilding. My father said to make a ship that large without Eezo would require an absurd amount of power. Without Eezo, you'd need twelve of the Destiny ascensions generators and drives, at least. Makes me wonder how much power those, MAGTECH Reactors really produce!

Asarimaiden 12: Easy, they don't! They use Eezo and simply masked the signature! There is no way to travel space without Element Zero, end of story!

Gethim the slightly quick: With curiosity and anxiousness. What if you are incorrect? What if they do have other technology that creates so much power? How would that change things? Would anything change? Would everything change?

Future master 43: I talked with my father about it recently. If they truly do have such powerful generators and the information is accurate, they do not rely on fuel of any kind, even for their generators. They power entire cities with those reactors, the same ones in their ships just of differing sizes! Imagine how it could change the economy if ships didn't need Element Zero! We could use it for other things instead!

Jethom61: Ridiculous! Even if it is true, which it isn't! The Alliance would never give us the technology. They refuse to immediately trade with us until they have an ambassador on the Citadel. You know why? Because they are afraid of us!

Atrivus 337: If they were afraid of us, they would not have walked into the Citadel tower and made a mockery of the Council. They would not have defended the Quarians or the Krogan, and they would have accepted to become part of the Citadel for their own safety. They are not afraid of us, if anything they think little of the Council. And if half of the data the Council released on them is accurate, I can see why.

Gethim the slightly quick: Seriously agreement, with worry tinting tone. The weapons of the Alliance make me worry what could have happened if peace had not occurred. This one is interested, however, in how their culture is. From data provided, they have a culture that is highly variable just across their own home world.

Asarimaiden 12: Homeworlds. Plural. They have two apparently. Their world and its moon where the Lunarians came from. I still find it odd that three different races managed to form all around one planet though. How did they not kill each other off?

jethom61: They have. Check out this vid.

link a short understanding of the human history of war. link

And this was just humans trying to kill each other!

Ingenious blue: By the goddess! Humans have been at war with themselves for almost their whole existence!

Jethom61: Surprising when they look so squishy, huh?

Atrivus 337: Especially considering some of their weapons. They could have had three different nuclear winters easy, but managed to avoid them each time. Still terrifying that the one group nukes the other twice to make them stop that war. An entire world at war, ugh, reminds me of classes on my peoples interplanetary civil war.

Asarimaiden 12: What confuses me is that there are supposedly three races, but they all almost look the same. Humans and Lunarians look the same. Only some youkai are clearly different. Here look.

link an explanation for the differences in alliance species and how to tell them

Atrivus 337: Some youkai have wings? What?

Jethom61: Some have tails in place of legs?!

Asarimaiden 12: Some can even breathe under water, or are immune to heat and cold extremes!

Gethim the slightly quick: Surprising. Some are supposedly strong enough to lift over ten times their body weight, and take on weaponry that would kill others without a scratch. Impressive.

Asarimaiden 12: Something tells me it would be easy to tell if an Alliance person is a youkai. Human or Lunarian, not so much.

Jethom61: I'm more worried about their ideas of Citadel space than what they look like though. They come here and act like they can tell us what's wrong with what we've done in the past. The Quarians, the Krogan, they brought it on themselves!

Asarimaiden 12: And the Batarians will have it coming when they screw up and get caught paying off pirates too, by that logic.

jethom61: Did you just!?

Gethim the slightly quick: calmly and gently. The Batarins are slavers. This is common knowledge, as is the fact they must get them from somewhere.

Jethom61: You! I'm blacklisting this forum!

 **Jethom61 has blacklisted the forum and has logged off.**

Asarimaiden 12: Well. That was where he stood. Honestly though, what do you all think about how the Alliance talked about the Genophage?

Gethim the slightly quick: Carefully. Little is explained about how the Genophage affects Krogan females in regular studies. After hearing the alliance heads argument I searched for information and found it to be correct. It is disconcerting that Krogan women go through that.

Ingenious blue: But the Krogan are dangerous, right? Would what she suggested really have worked?

Future master 43: It would take a lot of work, but logically it would. I begin to think that that head was correct, my people made the Genophage to prove we could. And it was deployed for revenge. It all tracks, unfortunately.

Atrivus 337: Do you really believe that? The Krogan are brutes!

Asarimaiden 12: If that, what was the Alliances one heads name?

Future master 43: According to the information given to the Council, she is Kaguya Houraisen, the past exiled princess of the Lunarian peoples.

Ingenious blue: They have an exiled princess as their leader? Do they know what exile means?

Asarimaiden 12: Maybe. Either way. If what Kaguya said could be true, the Krogan could have been so much more. Did those before us mistake revenge for need? Could the galaxy be so much more if more choice were made while calm, and not on the eve of battle?

Future master 43: Perhaps, but we cannot change the past, we can only influence the future, and I worry about how the Alliance will influence our future.

Atrivus 337: Well, we have time to grow paranoid about it, their ambassador isn't going to arrive for almost six months!

 **Citadel Forum/ message Board 96372**

 **Forum title – The Alliance will be here tomorrow!**

 **There are currently 273834 users online.**

Future master 43: So, the Alliance ambassador arrives tomorrow as I understand it. It will be interesting to see what race they are.

Future master 43: Interesting is one word for it. Have you seen the preparation C-sec is going through for them? I think they're worried about an assassination attempt.

Asarimaiden 12: Oh, that would be bad. I hope that doesn't happen. It could ruin the peace, and we'd lose any chances for trade or learning more about them and their cultures!

Jethom61: Oh, it will happen alright!

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"For the last time, Remilia, NO! I am going through with this!" Flandre said angrily, knowing that the limited communication with her sister allowed only her voice to be heard.

"But this is not what you should be-"

"You are the one who took up Tarot reading! You're the one who ready my fates without changing them and found I'd do something important, and then sent me to Shanxi to keep me away from it! I am doing this and you are not stopping me. Goodbye!" Flandre yelled as she switched the call off and leaned back in the chair. She sat like that for a moment as she calmed herself down, then opened her eyes and looked to the person across from her. Sorry you had to hear that, Mokou."

Mokou shrugged "It's no problem. Though I am surprised your sister is so adamant against you doing this when you agreed without hesitation."

"I stopped that war, or I at least helped stop that war, so I agree with Yukari's idea that I should do my part as the Alliance's ambassador to the Citadel Council. Besides, it beats being stuck on Shanxi by my sister's command, or obeying her commands for no other reason than she says to."

"Understandable. Being stuck in a basement, then Earth, then Shanxi would do that." Mokou said calmly. "Your sister really doesn't want you out of arms reach, huh?"

"No, I could understand it when I was insane, err, more insane. . . . Before the border broke. But I'm not the same now, and I'll prove that to her!"

"You know an ambassador's work is a lot of arguing, paperwork and clearing up red tape, with more paperwork, right?" Mokou asked, curious if Flandre knew what she was getting into.

"I know. That's why I have Mei with me!"

Mei, who was sitting on the other end of the bench from Flandre nodded calmly. "I will do my best to assist you, but please remember, Lady Flandre, that as a fairy, I still require more rest than you do."

"Don't worry; I won't work you too hard if I can help it. If it comes to it I could also burn the paper they give me, or get Mokou to burn it!"

"I am not here as a mobile furnace. I'm here to act as your bodyguard." Mokou said with a sigh as she leaned back in her chair. "Not that you need one really. The Citadels star isn't yellow, so unless someone has enough firepower to completely destroy you, there's no way anything they throw at you would work."

"That's true, but the same can be said for all three of us!"

"Yeah, and there's a reason why we were picked." Mokou said as she produced a hologram from her wristcomp, showing a forum on the Citadel. "I picked this up. Thank goodness Sanae altered our wrist comps to connect to the Councils systems. Anyway, it's about our arrival today, and there are a few mentions of people expecting things to happen to us, and some people seem to be insinuating they will try something."

Flandre let out a maniacal giggle at this. "Ah, I love Yukari's planning. Now we get to see their reaction first hand when the Council finds out their ambassador, her secretary and her bodyguard are all either completely un-killable, or so hard to kill there's no point in trying! I wonder if we can kill the ones who try to off us?"

"We'll have to ask C-Sec, they are the Citadels police after all." Mokou said as she glanced out a window to see a 'wing' of the Citadel pass by. "We'll be landing soon. We should get ready."

"Right." Flandre said as she got up and began fixing her clothing and closing down her computer. "Oh, and Mokou, thanks for accepting the position as my bodyguard for this."

Mokou shrugged. "It was either me or Eirin, but your welcome. Working as an ambassador's guard should be an interesting change of pace anyway. Shall we?"

"Let's!"

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Desolas Arterius was not a happy man. Since the failure that was Shanxi, where he essentially betrayed the Hierarchy to save them, he had lost his position in the military. Because while his name was kept secret from the public, the Primarch was at least informed, and had him removed from the military immediately, while his brother despite his wounds, was rumored to be getting inducted into the spectres.

Spartacus, however, turned out to be extremely giving. Raging at how Desolas was being punished for essentially saving lives. He pulled some strings and got him a spot at C-Sec, with Executor Pallin's permission and agreement.

Pallin knew the whole situation, including what he had done, but did not hold it against him. He was a little cold to him, but was like that to everyone, so Desolas did not let it him bother him.

The problem was that working in Citadel Security was far different than he expected. Being the only surviving Turian from Shanxi to lose his rank made him a scapegoat for many peoples ire's, so he was barely talked to outside of work. Catching criminals was far harder than he expected as well, as lethal force was not often authorized. Most times he was stuck to a desk though, sorting the files of what other officers had done. Sure he went out on patrol himself every once in a while, but that almost always ended with just giving people fines for minor offences. And this went on for the past six months.

Now though, C-Sec was out in force, securing numerous pathways and locations because today was the day the Alliance ambassador arrived, and the council made it clear they wanted nothing bad happening to them. A murdered ambassador was one of the worst ways to keep peace after all.

So here he was, with Executor Pallin himself and two other C-Sec officers, waiting at the docks as the Aliance corvette, the same kind that had apparently brought their leadership in, slowly approached.

There was a crowd gathered, being held back by a line of officers, but the atmosphere was not nearly as tense as it had been the past few weeks. Now that the day had arrived, people were either overjoyed or angry, and simply did not care to show it by hanging at bars of clubs instead of out in the open.

Finally the corvette landed, and Pallin and those with him stepped forward, watching for anything as the door on the ships side slowly slid open. The first person out was not recognized by anyone. She wore a black suit with the jacket left open to show off the white shirt underneath, and had long white hair with numerous strange things tied in it at regular intervals. Her eyes were red, and she carried herself casually as she looked around as if looking for danger. She did not look like a guard, but it was clear from her stance that that was what she was.

Then the real ambassador came out. Just like the guard she wore a suit, though it was done up immaculately and was a nearly black red in color. Her blonde hair was done up to one side, and bony branch like wings came out of her back with crystals hanging from them. Her eyes were also red, but more predatory in nature. She walked confidently forward as a third person exited the corvette, a fairy woman also wearing a suit, who looked calm as she carried some sort of case in her hands.

"Executor Pallin, Head of Citadel Security. I take it you are the Alliance ambassador?" Pallin asked he stepped forward and looked at Flandre.

"Yes, I am. Ambassador for the Alliance, Operative Flandre Scarlet. It is a pleasure to meet you, Executor." Flandre said as she looked in Desolas' direction for a second.

"Likewise, Ambassador." Pallin replied as he looked to the other two. "Are these two your guards then?"

"Operative Mokou Fujiwara, acting as Flandre's guard." Mokou introduced casually as she noticed some movement out the corner of her eye, a vent cover being taken off from within.

"And this is my assistant, Mei." Flandre said as she introduces Mei and took the case from her, hefting it as if it weighed nothing when Mei had been struggling a bit to carry it comfortably. "Mei, please prepare our effects to be moved, and take your time if you will."

"Of course, Lady Scarlet." Mei said as she turned and walked back into the shuttle.

"You may want to alert your people," Flandre said with a psychotic grin that make everyone's skin crawl. "We're about to have company."

"What?" Pallin said just before his Omni tool began to beep. "What is it?"

'Sir, multiple contacts trying to get to the docks. Armed Eclipse mercs. No idea how they got on the station. They're coming for the ambassador!'

"What? How are you holding?" Pallin demanded to know, sounding worried for his men.

'We're holding, but a large number of them broke off and went around us. Some with heavy weapons!'

Pallin closed his omni tool. "Weapons at the ready!" He barked before looking to Flandre and Mokou. "We need to get you to safety, please follow me."

"That won't be necessary, Executor." Flandre said as she took a step backwards, right as an accelerator round tore through the air where her head had been and embedded into the floor to her side. She quickly raised an open hand and clenched it closed, a messy blasting sound coming from above as an open air vent suddenly had blue blood all over its sides and running down the wall. "They are already here."

Mass accelerator fire suddenly tore through the air over the dock, coming from the nearby dock, one round going tough an Asari officer's shoulder.

"Hostile contacts!" Desolas yelled as he grabbed the wounded officer and dragged her behind one of the decks thick railing sections, everyone else doing the same as they pulled out their weapons and began firing back at the Eclipse mercs who were clearly shooting to kill.

"Get down!" Pallin ordered to Flandre and Mokou, a second too late as a round flew right through Mokou's skull, dropping her to the ground.

"Wow, that was sooner than I expected." Flandre said calmly as she crouched down with Pallin, and pushed up the sleeves of her jacket to reveal a silvery blue bracelet on each wrist. "Eclipse mercenaries are mainly biotics, correct?"

"They have a large number of them, yes. Why?" Pallin asked nervously.

"Then I'll need to activate these things to full power, I guess." Flandre said as she clicked both bracelets, making them whine for a second. "I wouldn't want to get contaminated after all."

"You seem awfully calm about this." Pallin mentioned as he motioned Flandre to follow him up the nearby ramp. Flandre shook her head.

"Yes, this is nothing really and we were expecting something like this. Though not on the first day admittedly. "Mokou, you up yet?"

"She was shot in the head. She's gone." Palin said imply, finding it odd the way Flandre had spoken.

"Give her a second, she'll be fine!" Flandre said with a grin as she pointed to Mokou's body.

Much to Pallin's surprise Mokou's arms moved and lifted her off the ground, the wound on her head completely gone. "Ow. That is surprisingly painful, actually." Mokou muttered as she sat up and glanced around. "Your men seem to be having some trouble, Executor. Shall I assist them?" Mokou asked as a rocket obliterated the cover two officers were behind, sending them sprawling backwards. They were not dead, but clearly hurting.

Pallin gawked for a second before closing his mouth. He couldn't let even such outlandish things surprise him, not in the middle of a firefight, not while lives were at stake. "If you would, please."

"Lethal force?" Mokou asked calmly, before smiling. "And is anything on that dock highly valuable?"

"They're mercs who shouldn't be on the station In the first place. They can be killed without any problems." Pallin said immediately as he leaned over to look at the dock, almost taking a round in the eye as he did before leaning back. "I believe the crates on that dock are all empty. Why?"

"Because." Mokou said as she stood up and took off her jacket, tossing it onto one of Flandre's wing like a coatrack. "Once I'm done the dock may not be there anymore!"

"What?"

"Remember to turn your bracelets on. They may be biotics." Flandre reminded as she leaned against a box calmly with her hands resting behind her head.

Mokou nodded and did so, just before running to the edge of the dock and jumping over its edge, surprising everyone , C-Sec officer and merc alike. Halfway between the docks, wings of flame formed at her back, and she seared down onto the dock with a roar. She landed on top an Asari merc, punching her in the helmet so hard it broke. She died however, when Mokou landed on top of her and her wings spread out, sending jets of flame in every direction, and turning the dock into an immolating hellscape.

The C-Sec officers, and those civilians that did not flee at the first sound of gunfire, stared In awe as Mokou stood in the middle of the flames without taking harm, while mercs all around her screamed as their shields were quickly overcome, their armours lighting on fire and heating them up inside. As most began falling to the ground in molten heaps one merc who had stayed far enough away from the flames, came out from behind cover with a rocket launcher in hand, and aimed it at Mokou.

"Not today!" Desolas yelled as he aimed at the merc and opened up with his weapon, spraying accelerator round on them until their shield broke. They went down as the round tore into their armour, but the launcher still fired, letting its ordinance fly toward Mokou.

Mokou merely grinned as her wings twitched and sent a lash of flame through the air, smacking the rocket out of the air and making it explode from the sudden temperature change. The lash of fire continued until it stuck the dead mercenaries body, lighting it on fire as if cremating the corpse.

Less than a minute later the docks appeared clear, and Mokou flew up into the air, above the dock, then her wings disappeared, dropping her on to the dock with a heavy thud.

"Your jacket." Flandre said as she stood up and tossed Mokou's jacket at her.

"Thanks. How are your people, Executor?"

"Three wounded, none fatal." Desolas answered as Pallin looked at him and nodded.

"Ah, I thought you looked familiar." Flandre said slyly a she walked past Pallin toward the ramp.

Just then, a Batarian came out from behind a crate. He was in civilian clothing, but the glowing blade coming off his Omni tool said all it needed to. Before anyone could react he got in close and plunged the blade into Flandre's stomach with a grin that Pallin could clearly see.

For a second nothing happened, then Flandre's arm grabbed the Batarians, while her other grabbed his face. "Looks like I get to have some fun too." Flandre said as she smiled and opened her mouth, long canines clearly visible to the Batarian. Before he or anyone else could react Flandre pulled his head sideways and threw her jaw down on his throat, biting down with so much force the Batarian screamed in shock first, then in horror and pain as he felt the teeth sink deeper and deeper into his flesh and felt his blood being pulled away. He tried to struggle, tried to pull the blade out to stab her again, but Flandre grip was like steel and he could not budge his arm, and was forced instead to struggle with his whole body. This made it look like he was being electrocuted or was having a seizure, and as Flandre noticed this she grinned, and ripped her head back away from the Batarian, taking a chunk of his neck out with her.

She spat the chunk of neck out onto the deck, then bit down on the Batarian again, sucking the last vestiges of life out of his body before pulling her head back and pushing the body backwards lifelessly onto the floor as she turned around to face Pallin and Desolas, licking blood off her lips with a smile of satisfaction.

"That was enjoyable. Shall we continue?"

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"Did, did that just happen?" Tevos asked as she, Valern and Spartacus looked at the live feed from the docks in abject fear and surprise.

"The, Alliance sent a monster. They sent a pair of monsters as ambassadors!?" Spartacus finally exclaimed in worry.

"No, the one leading introduced themselves." Valern said as he brought up a pair of images off his Omnitool, profiles on the two people in question from the Alliance databanks. "They are Alliance Operatives, Flandre Scarlet and Mokou Fujiwara. A youkai and human. Though the youkai part says her species is vampire, whatever that is."

"Um, I saw something about it" Tevos said as she searched though her Omni tool. "It says a vampire is a rare species of Youkai that subsist off of the blood of other creatures, and have extremely powerful physical strength and healing abilities despite their looks."

"Doesn't that seem to describe all Youkai?" Spartacus said with a sigh. In the months they were left waiting they had been able to go through the Alliance database in far more depth, and the more they did, the more they began to realize that, even if their own people did not fully believe the information, even if half of it was untrue, the Alliance was a powerhouse that could easily be far more dangerous than it already was considered to be.

The accounts of Turian survivors of Shanxi only worked to solidify this fact, and their stories had become major pieces of interest, making people curious, fearful, or downright hateful of the Alliance. They had expected some idiot to attempt something against the ambassador, but they hadn't expected an entire mercenary band to sneak onto the Citadel and attack them.

Granted they hadn't expected the ambassador to rip out an attacker's throat with her teeth alone, or for her guard to immolate an entire dock and all the mercenaries on it either.

"Where are they?" Spartacus asked as he reached over and grabbed a cup from behind him, drinking the alcohol in it in one go despite his compatriots usual protesting glares.

"They have arrived at the building that has been prepared to be their residence and embassy." Tevos said a sign then perking up again. "The ambassador appears to be following Pallin out, while her assistant and guard are staying inside the building."

"It is common courtesy for an ambassador to greet us on the day they arrive; perhaps that is what it is about?" Valern suggested, just as Tevos's Omni tool beeped.

"That is the case it appears. Executor Pallin just alerted me saying they shall be coming to do just that, and is adding that Ambassador Scarlet apparently has two things to speak to us about."

"Spirits, probably complaining about being attacked upon arrival." Spartacus sighed. "We should prepare ourselves for this then.

"Agreed."

An hour later, all three councillors stood on their balcony in the Citadel Tower. Other ambassadors, and people from every race were on the balconies above, waiting for the Alliance ambassador to arrive, for their first glimpse of an alliance person in six months. To say that the six months of nonexistence had made it difficult to understand them would be an understatement, and there were even news crews, hoping to get the first images, and possibly the first interview with the alliance ambassador.

Executor Pallin and the ambassador walked in together, but could not have looked more different. Pallin looked nervous and exhausted, while Flandre looked as happy as could be, visibly smiling and showing of her perfectly white canines that appeared longer than one would expect.

"Councillors, the Alliance ambassador has come to greet you." Pallin said as the two of them stopped before the councillors.

Before they could thank Pallin, Flandre took a step forward; her strange wings shaking and glittering in the light, making her stylish suit look even more unearthly. "Greeting, Councillors of the Citadel, and thank you for having me here. I am Operative Flandre Scarlet, chosen to be the Alliance's Ambassador to your government!" She said happily, yet still sounding serious and proper. It was actually quite impressive.

"We welcome you, Ambassador Scarlet." Tevos said carefully. "And, I'd like to apologize for what happened at the docks, our security should have been better to insure your pleasant arrival. it won't happen again."

"Eh, don't worry about it. " Flandre said with a wave of her free hand. "it was a nice change of pace, and no one worthwhile was killed so no harm done. Plus I got a free meal out of it."

"I see." Valern said, clearly uncomfortable. "Was what you did to the Batarian that attacked you really necessary though?"

Flandre smiled. "He stabbed me in the stomach with a heated blade. If I was a normal human such a thing could be fatal if I was unlucky. His life was forfeit the moment he drew arms against me, no?"

"I am not denying that his death was acceptable, as attacking a foreign delegate is one of the highest orders of crimes. What I am asking is if it was truly necessary to kill him in such a, gruesome manner?"

"Why not. I was hungry anyway and he basically offered his life to me." Flandre said as she licked her lips, as if savoring the taste.

"I understand." Tevos said uncomfortably. "I hope the accommodations provided to you and your people are adequate?"

"More than adequate, thank you, Councillor." Flandre said with a slight bow at the waist. "Though Mokou and Mei insisted they have chance to bust every bug in the building. Don't worry, I'm not angry."

"I, I see." Tevos shifted at that. Valern had been insistent on bugging the building, but he had assured her the bugs would not be found. Yet the way Flandre spoke made it sound like they had already found some of them. Hoping to change the subject she spoke up again. "I assume your people have devised a more effective version of those bracelets?"

"Yes," Flandre said as she raised her arm so her sleeve fell, showing off a silver bracelet. "We also took the liberty of bringing with us a small MAGTECH Reactor and the connected Holocomm system so I may communicate with the alliance. Its excess energy should make our abode comfortable without effecting outside of the building. And don't worry, its shielded."

"We were informed you had something to speak to us about do you or not?" Spartacus suddenly asked, being the perfect image of caution.

Flandre's wings shifted slightly, making the light reflect off them differently as she dropped the briefcase in hand onto the floor in front of her, its handle facing her ankles. Before anyone could comment she stepped on its edge, crushing its latch in one loud snap. Then she kicked it open, and kicked the briefcase across the floor so it stopped right below the councillor's balcony. Inside the briefcase was a phaeston rifle, a couple devastated pieces of armour of two different kinds and a pair of broken helmets, one Asari and one Turian in make. The Asari helmet was half crushed, while the Turian helmet was neatly cut in half right down the middle. "The first point of business then, I return the remains of two spectres that illegally went into Alliance space. The Asari entered our space on a small personal fighter and forced a landing on Shanxi, before being taken down by Operative Yuugi Hoshiguma. The Turian entire our space in a similar way, but was captured and dragged into the docking bay of one of our capital ships where Operative Youmu Konpaku dealt with him." Flandre exclaimed with a smile that Tevos could only see as insane.

"You killed Spectres?!" Spartacus nearly roared in shock.

"Of course." Flandre said, her smile becoming larger and more disturbing as she continued. "We had agreed that our space would be completely off limits to all Council personnel for these past six months, and that includes Spectres. We do, of course, understand that your Spectres have no oversight and often act on their own, so unless you did directly order them to enter our space, we will not hold it against your government. This time."

The councillors all looked at each other, exchanging glances that said they had not authorized any such actions.

"I thank you for this then. We will look into this and make sure no other Spectres illegally enter Alliance space In the near future."

"Thank you, Councillors." Flandre said with a smile as she brought up her wristcomp and tapped it a bit. " The other thing I have been asked to relay to you is the fact that the Alliance has decide that, to help strengthen our alliance and cultural understanding, Reitaisai will be open to council races when it opens in another five months!"

The councillors looked at Flandre in confusion. "What is this, Reitaisai you speak of?"

"Ah, right you don't know. Pardon me. Reitaisai began as a new year's festival in Gensokyo, but has since expanded. It is a festival celebrating cultures, technology and history in the Alliance held every five years. It changes what planet it is on evert time it is held, and this year it is to happen on Shanxi. The Alliance wishes to open it to Council attendee's to gain a better understanding of our culture and values, and to help overcome the tension between our two organizations."

"I see." Tevos said as she thought about the idea, surprised that the Alliance brought it forward first. "I assume there would be certain requirements for attending?"

"Yes. First would be that all biotics would be required to wear a nullification ring, a newly designed version of my own bracelet that blocks internal mass effect reactions. Biotics would essentially be unable to use their biotics while wearing it. Additionally, all those who attend must be ready to sign wavers at some of the events, as a safety measure primarily. Lastly, would be the fact that no Element Zero powered technology is to be allowed on Shanxi, and all people must be scanned and looked over to confirm they have none on them. Weapons will be allowed to be on their persons only if they follow these rules. A currency exchange would need to be set up for those attending as well."

"So basically people can go as long as they do not bring anything with Element Zero in it, and have their biotics sealed, if that is truly possible." Valern responded.

"That is correct. Food and board will have to be bought by people as it will not be provided unless the person has a VIP Pass, of which I have given some to C-sec, as thanks for their actions at the dock earlier today."

"What of Turians who wish to go, if they even would." Spartacus said gruffly. "Our dextro based diets would not be able to consume your food safely."

"R&D's biology department has created a pill that temporarily alters the bodies chemistry to allow dextro based peopled to eat levo based food of kinds without any abject health problems. As long as it is taken at least half an hour before consuming food, they will be able to eat any kind of food for up to seventeen hours." Flandre explained, causing Valern and Spartacus too look at her in shock. Some research had been done to make food universal, but nothing had ever come of it in the past!

"That is-…"

"Some information such as logistics will need to be discussed as well, but for now that is the basics of it. The Alliance is opening Reitaisai to the Councils citizens, if you will allow it, and only if all are allowed equally. What do you say?"

The councillors looked at each other and nodded. Such a chance to get real images of the Alliances culture and ichnology could not be ignored, and improving their relationship was always a good thing.

"The Citadel Council is happy to accept the Alliances invitation!"

 **Next Chapter : Reitaisai!**


	17. CH17 Reitaisai

Despite the shock and reoccurring fear caused by Ambassador Scarlets actions her first day on the Citadel, the information that the Alliance was having their biggest festival that happened only every five years, and was opening it to all council races made many people instantly intrigued in the Alliances history and culture. Reading information on them could only do so much after all, and as the date got closer and closer, more and more information was released on how it would work, and what it would have to show all who attended.

Ethnological exhibitions, cultural shows, historic vids, examples of scientific advancements and prototypes, live music and entertainment, food from across Alliance territory, and physical challenges and games were just the barest hints of it given to the public.

The preparations however were not entirely smooth as many people, Biotics and the Asari primarily, continually complained about the Alliances demand of denying them the use of their abilities, many stating it was their right and that inhibiting it was akin to rape. No matter how many times it was brought up to the Alliance ambassador however, she ignored it or gave the same reply each time. That the Alliances stance on element zero technology, that biotics and Eezo were to be not carried or used in their territory, would still stand regardless of how many people complained.

After a while, including four attempts of assault and three attempts of murder to her person, all of them resulting with the deaths of the assailants, often by having their throats torn out; people stopped complaining to the Alliance ambassador, and she quickly gained a reputation as someone as dangerous as a spectre, and unable to be killed.

And that was to say nothing about her guard.

Finally the days to Reitaisai closed to less than a week, and the moneychangers came to the Citadel, converting the Councils credits into the Alliances currency, a strange combination of plastic bills and semi-precious metal coinage, both covered in funny images and shapes.

Then the Alliance passenger ships came. Massive 900 meter long ships with only the barest self defense weapons, built entirely for one purpose, to ferry people between planets. Thousands boarded each on the first day alone, bringing people from every lot of life to Shanxi to partake in the Alliance's insanity.

Since the short incident with the Turians, Shanxi had changed drastically. The city had been rebuilt, the massive wall somehow removed completely, and the city expanded. Three spaceports littered the mountain range, the city was full of decorations and people, and the lands south of the city, past the forests was abuzz with life, Reitaisai taking up easily over a hundred square kilometres with stalls, restaurants, rides, and exhibitions.

A kilometre into one area of the festivals many restaurant and food areas a Turian, Desolas Artrius found himself standing in front of a massive monument of steel. He had walked directly to it as soon as he had seen it when the passenger ship came down to the planet, but now that he was in front of it, he wasn't sure how to act.

The monument itself was simple; unbelievably so when compared to the colors, lights and noise from around it. A scale model of a Turian cruiser, embedded into a similarly scaled Alliance cruiser, and around it, massive black steel walls, each side covered in the names of all those on both sides that had died, in both the Alliance language of English, and in common Turian. Nothing had ever been said about this memorial, but its intention was clear, and Desolas could clearly see others looking it over. It was not just Turians either. Asari, Salarians, a few Quarians and Krogan, and many Alliance faces seemed to pay their respects, either to a specific name they hunted for, or to the monument in general. Even those who did not stop at it bowed their heads or took off hats while passing by.

' _In remembrance to all those who lost their lives in the first contact incident. May their souls be at peace, and their sacrifices not be forgotten.'_ was written on the plaque of each metal wall, reinforcing the monuments meaning.

Executor Pallin had distributed the VIP passes that Flandre had given him to all officers, but only a few, Desolas included, had decided to go. He had initially decided to go both to see how Shanxi fared and to understand more of Alliance culture, but also to look for something.

He had been the captain of a cruiser, then had been dropped to a mere ground commander, then stripped of his rank, to be taken in by C-Sec, all because of another's action, and his own desire to save lives. He was thankful he still had a job, but C-Sec didn't felt right for him, and now with his rank stripped, he would never be able to hold rank in the hierarchy again, making him feel listless and confused, unsure of what he was doing with his life while his brother trained to be a spectre.

Now, standing before the names of all who had died on both sides, he realized he had done something amazing. He had singularly helped end a war that could have expanded to take thousands if not millions of more lives. He had stopped this memorial from covering a whole planet! He had saved lives that would never know he had. And he was fine with that. It made him smile even as his eyes teared up with emotions.

Then something blew through the air and smacked into Desolas's face, right before it flew off and landed against the monuments wall, showing it to be a wide brimmed white hat. Leaning over and picking it up Desolas found it was actually rather heavy, yet did not feel warm in his claws like he had expected.

"Ah, that's mine, sorry!" came a voice from behind him, and Desolas turn to find an Alliance woman approaching him who looked different than others he had seen in passing.

What first surprised him was her build and height. Most humans had an average height just a bit shorter than most Turians, and even less for their women, but this woman was easily six feet tall, if not a bit taller, easily as tall as Desolas was. Her skin was a light tanned brown in color, while her body was clearly what humans called athletic with visible muscle across her, though not so much it was the first thing he noticed. She wore a loose pair of black shorts that went down to her knees, strange compared to what he had seen other Alliance women wear, as well as a loose grey tank top over her torso, its looseness doing an okay job of hiding the size of her chest. Simple shoes covered her feet, and both her lower legs and forearms were covered in a wrapping of bandages. What caught his attention most however was her hair, and the large feathery wings coming out of her back, their total wingspan likely nearing seven meters of total length. They were a brown color with black tips, and like her feathers her hair was brown, but with red tints in it down at the tips. She looked at Desolas with a smile through her bright yellow eyes, one arm outstretched toward him, clearly wanting the hat she claimed to be hers.

"Ah, sorry." Desolas quickly responded as he handed the woman her hat, realizing he had stared for a couple seconds upon realizing she was a Youkai, not a Human.

"It's no problem!" She said as she took the hat and placed it on her head, shielding her face from the sun. "Let me guess, second time on Shanxi?"

"Um, yes. How did you know?"

The woman let out a quick laugh. "You were standing In front of the monument for so long it made sense. Especially when it took a second for you to realize my hat had landed on you." she explained with a smile, her voice soft yet strong and somehow fierce. She put out her right hand to Desolas. "Name's Adaaya, you?"

"What oh, it's Desolas." He responded as he recalled that shaking hands was a greeting used by some Alliance people. "Desolas Arterius."

"Oh, good name!" Adaaya said with a grin. "Good thing I'm not oriental, otherwise it'd mess with me!"

"Why?" Desolas asked, trying to remember if oriental was a planet or culture subset.

"Orientals have trouble differentiating R's and L's sometimes, so they can really scramble names and words with lots of them." Adaaya explained as she stepped up beside Desolas and looked at the monument. "Y'know, the monument was suggested by General Williams, the impromptu leader of Shanxi."

"The one who led the planets defences before the operative arrived and took over?"

"Yep, the very same. You sound like you've met him."

"O-of course not. I just remember hearing the name after my people surrendered." Desolas said, hiding the facts as best he could. "Why would he suggest such a thing?"

"Humans have a long history of war, and making monuments both to the wars and those lost in them is sort of a tradition in itself. A hope that we'll all learn from the past, I guess."

" I see. That is actually rather interesting. Do humans build a lot of these sort of monuments?"

"Tons. There's easily over ten dozen across Earth, if not more!" Adaaya explained as she turned to Desolas with a grin "So, what beings a Hierarchy soldier who fought on Shanxi back? Most Turians I've seen wandering around have been more interested in the events and stalls. You're the first one who clearly was part of the incident that I've seen today!"

"Well, I had come to see this festival I guess. To see what made it so different, and to learn about the Alliance, I guess. When I saw the monument though . . ."

"It just popped out at you huh? I get that." Adaaya said with a solemn tone as she looked at it and smiled. "Monuments like this, there's just something about them that makes people want to give them respect, you know?"

"Not really, but I guess I understand what your saying." Desolas said simply. "The Hierarchy doesn't make monument like this. The only monuments that are made are ones celebrating victories, not the dead."

"Oh, we have tons of victory monuments too, but most people feel it's a good idea to respect the dead as well." Adaaya said as a silence reigned for a few seconds before she turned back to Desolas, "Say, want to look around Reitaisai with me?"

"What?"

"I mean, I want to learn more about Council races, you want to learn more about the Alliance, so why not. Could be fun too, right?"

"You know where everything is?"

"Oh, hell no! The organization changes for each Reitaisai, especially when it happens on a planet for the first time like this. But it'd be interesting to see what is around with someone else, right?"

"I, guess so." Desolas said, slightly uncomfortable with the idea, but understanding the logic behind it. "Alright, I'll be in your care then I suppose."

"Sweet!" Adaaya declared as her stomach suddenly let out a strange noise. "Oops, I skipped breakfast to get out here a soon as I could. Guess that was a bad idea. Want to get something to eat first?"

"um, okay but-"

"Oh right, Your dextro, whatchamacallit. You have those pills that were given out to all of you, ya?"

"Yes."

"Have one now while we look for a place to eat then." Adaaya said as she looked around and scowled. "I forgot how large the food stall areas often are at Reitaisai."

"There does appear to be a lot of them." Desolas agreed as he followed Adaaya down the pathway, weaving in and out of groups of people as he tossed one of the pills down his throat. It was oddly sweet tasting. "What kinds of foods are there?"

"Uh, too many to name them all. Lunarian cuisine is based off oriental cuisine mostly, or is it the other way around? Anyway Lunarian cuisine is basically eastern oriental while Youkai cuisine is basically the same as human cuisine from the various areas it stems from. It might be easier to just pick a place at random." Adaaya admitted as she stopped and looked around. "I see an Indian, an Italian, a Chinese, and a North American place ahead of us, any of those sound good?"

"Um, I really don't know the differences. You choose."

"Alright, Chinese it is!" Adaaya declared loudly as she strode forward. "I've got a hankering for some fried rice and ginger beef!"

Desolas ended up waiting a while as Adaaya insisted on buying for both of them, and a while after came back with two trays, each with a serving of fried rice and ginger beef on them. They found a place to sit easily enough, and after waiting until he'd be sure the pill was working, if it actually did, he tried the food. And found it really good!

Because of the Dextro amino base, he had never had a chance to try anything other than Turian food and Qurian rations, which where the epitome of bland. Now however, he began to understand why there were so many restaurants on the Citadel, and could see human food becoming a big thing!

"Like it?" Adaaya suddenly asked.

"Yes, it's very good and I've never had anything quite like it. " Desolas replied honestly. "Turian food is good but . . . rigid. Very simple in most cases."

"Ah, I get it. Some food from Earth gets called simple or inelegant but sometimes simple is the best for taste and cost!"

"I, guess so." Desolas said unsure of how to respond to such a statement.

"So," Adaaya started as she tossed some ginger beef into her mouth with her fork. "Is there anything specific you're wanting to check out?"

"I'm not sure. There seems to be a lot going on." Desolas said with a sigh, noticing he had almost finished all the food already, and that his stomach was not feeling any different. It seems that pill did do as it was suggested it would, which was utterly amazing

"Hmm. Oh I know, you're a soldier. Right?" Adaaya asked with a sudden grin. "Want to hit the fight club?"

Desolas looked at Adaaya with a confused gaze, "The what?"

Adaaya grin widened, and a half hour later they were standing in front of a large building with 'The Fight Club' written in alliance English on its front, with the subtitle of 'Don't talk about it' underneath. The building appeared to be made of stone of some kind, and a large screen on both sides of the name showed an arena here two people appeared to be engaging in a fistfight of some kind.

"The fight club was started by a pair of Americans, a Human and an Ogre, after an old movie. Like a really old movie! There are magical blockers in the building that stop anyone from using magic or innate abilities inside the arena, so those who fight can only utilize their own body's capabilities."

"So people just go at each other?" isn't there any oversight to stop injuries?" Desolas asked, remembering how controlled fights were somewhat common on Hierarchy ships.

"There's the referee, but honestly a lot of oversight isn't needed because spell card rules are in effect over the entire Festival. Even if someone wanted to kill someone it would be nearly impossible. The most they can do is knocking them unconscious." Adaaya explained as the screen showed one person throw another over his shoulder into the ground. He just got up off of it and continued to fight with a broad smile on his face.

"I remember reading about those spell card rules. It seems, unfeasible somehow. How does it work?"

"No idea." Adaaya admitted. "I know they are held up by people's intent and belief supposedly, but most people don't know how it works, it just does." She said as she turned to Desolas and smiled. "So, up for a match?"

"You can fight? And would my training even be allowable?"

"Of course it'd be allowable. The fight club has no holds on what tactics can be used! If it's a fighting style, it can be used! And, of course, I can fight!" Adaaya exclaimed as she raised an arm and pounded one against the other, the bandages straining for a half second and showing off the muscles underneath.

One part of Desolas was screaming that this was a bad idea, but the other side of him revelled in the idea. He had done very little actual fighting on Shanxi, and had only heard rumors of how much martial prowess some of the Alliance soldiers had demonstrated in battle. The Turian in him wanted to test it, wanted to compare their strength against his own. "Alright, I'm curious to see how my training stacks up."

"Sweet, let's go!" Adaaya said with a grin as she began weaving through the crowd of people In front of the fight club with surprising ease despite the width of her wings. Desolas following behind her, finding that her wings actually made some people make room, making it easy to follow.

"Alright and that match is concluded!" The man at the front of the building, who was a mountain of a man, declared with a smile. "Is there anyone else who would like to enter the ring and duke it out with another?"

"We will!" Adaaya called out, waving a wing up and almost knocking one person over with a laugh as she stepped forward.

"Okay, the young. . . Tengu?"

"Roc!" Adaaya corrected with a smile.

"Ah, of course. Pardon me. The young Roc versus . . .?"

"Me." Desolas said as she stepped up beside Adaaya. The crowd around them instantly started murmuring with excitement, and the man on the podium smiled.

"First Council citizen to try it out, this will be interesting! Very well, go in the two doors to my sides, make sure you understand the written rules, and you can begin when the bell rings. Bidding will start at 100!

"They gamble on who wins?" Desolas asked in surprise.

"Yep, I'll see you on the other side, in the ring!" Adaaya said as she went over to the left hand door with a smile.

Walking into the right door Desolas found it to be a small changing room, the rules of combat written in multiple languages on the one wall. reading the rules he turned and found an open locker, and deciding it would be best not to ruin all his clothing, took his tunic off so he has only wearing his pants and went out of the room. Down a hall it turned and led him to the arena.

It was a simple arena, roughly twenty meter square with a barrier of rubber wires on each side. On the walls above were numerous cameras and glowing instruments, likely the magic blockers that Adaaya had mentioned. There was also a screen showing the crowd outside, and it had grown to easily twice its size. Letting out a breath to calm himself down he approached the arena are and climbed up and into it, looking to see many of the crowd outside cheering fervently.

A second later Adaaya jumped up and onto the arena, looking shockingly different, and causing the crowd to instantly explode. She had removed her shoes, going barefoot, as well as having removed her tank top, revealing a sports top that was black and showed the actual size of her chest. What caught Desolas' attention however was the image on the screen, showing off the two red letters on her black top.

N5

"The crowd seems to be rather riled up. Does that number and letter mean something?" Desolas asked as they both approached the centre of the ring, stopping two meters apart. He could now see the letter and number on the left strap of her top.

"Yeah it does, and I guess I should apologize as well for not fully introducing myself earlier." Adaaya said with a smile. "My full name and rank. Adaaya Nicotris Shepard, N5 special forces member of the Seventeenth BladeBreakers battalion!"

Then the bell rang, indicating the start of their fight.

Turian military training was vast and spread across multiple types and style, with unarmed combat being trained into everyone from the beginning in case their weapons stopped functioning. Desolas himself thought he was decently skilled at unarmed combat; he had to be as he had attained the rank of captain. But as soon the bell rang Adaaya rushed at him with frightening speed, swinging one arm at him from his left.

Desolas threw his arm up in a block and took the blow, feeling the raw power he was sure his arm would snap, but nothing broke, and the pain faded almost instantly. Was this the power of the Alliances spellcard rules? With a grin, Desolas pushed away Adaaya's arm, and went to strike with his one, only to find her other arm swinging at him already, far faster than he had expected.

Blocking it he pushed it away and stepped back, increasing he distance between them. Adaaya lunged forward as he tried to move back, but hadn't expected Desolas to step to the side, making her over shoot and have to turn to face him again, only for his fist to collide with her shoulder before he took another step back.

"Whoo, not bad!" Adaaya exhaled as she looked at her shoulder with a smirk and rolled it before resuming her stance.

"Yeah. You used your wings to push you forward for that one attack." Desolas said with a chuckle, suddenly realizing how his people had lost in melee combat so severely. "Special Forces, was it? Is that what the letter and number mean?"

"Yep. The N program is something new the Alliance introduced this last year. Everyone in Special Force is an N with a number designating their proficiency and skill. When one becomes an N7 they can attempt to get recognized to become an Operative!" Adaaya explained as she rushed forward, throwing swings at Desolas as she talked, and blocking all of his attack that made it through.

"So it was because of my people then?" Desolas asked as she threw a swing at Adaaya's face, only for her to flip backwards and nearly hit him in the head with her foot.

"No, not really. There just wasn't a way to show of people that had the skills to become operatives. There hasn't been a new operative inducted in almost five decades after all, and that needed to change!"

"I see." Desolas let out a gasp as he dodged a blow and stepped back. He could feel his heart beating extremely fast. His arms and leg burned as his muscles screamed from the sudden intense use, and the ends of his claws itched. Having a fight with someone in the Hierarchy was nothing like this. It was raw, but controlled and you knew you could not be hurt. But this, it was raw and untamed. Every swing he blocked felt like it would break him, and every attack of his own got his blood pumping faster than before until he was sure it going faster than it ever had. It was exhilarating! "I'm having trouble keeping up now. It's clear you were not lying about being Special Forces!"

"Yeah, but I'm not just Special Forces," Adaaya said as she rushed forward and flipped through the air. Seeing it coming Desolas dodged to the side, only to hear a crack from behind him. When he looked back up he found Adaaya's heel embedded easily a half foot into the floor, massive cracks coming out from it. "I'm a BladeBreaker!" She exclaimed as she pulled her heel out and shook some bits of flooring off it, her heel completely unhurt.

"I. . . .Don't know what that is." Desolas admitted as he moved forward and threw a series of strikes at Adaaya, one claw catching her arm and cutting from her wrist to her elbow.

She jumped back with a smile and licked the blood off her arm, the wound healing immediately with a small glow. Probably the spell card rules. "Ah right, the information given on our military organisation was thin, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was."

Adaaya grinned and rushed Desolas again, swinging a kick at his side. To her surprise though, he blocked it with his leg, then slammed his open palm into her side, sending her sideways only for her to flap her wings and land gracefully on the floor, stretching to each side with a giant smile on her face.

"There are four Special Forces groups in the Alliance. Red Eyes are terror and subversion forces. EarthRazers focus on demolitions and area of effect weapons like flamethrowers and artillery. Miko's are spiritual support forces and battlefield healers, capable of turning entire tides by protecting allies or limiting enemies." she explained as she used a hand and pushed sweat slicked hair out of her eyes.

"And Bladebreakers?" Desolas asked, sure he already knew the answer.

Adaaya grinned as he leapt into the air, her wings propelling her down on Desolas with both hands clenched together above her head. "BladeBreakers are melee combat specialists! "she roared just as Desoloas move, and her fists struck the ground, sending bit of the floor into the air from the sudden shock.

Adaaya looked up expecting Desolas to have put distance between them after she revealed her proficiency. Instead he was right in front of her with an arm already in motion. His fist collided with her jaw with a crack. Reacting instantly she threw one of her arms up and swung back down, seeing Desolas move to block the strike. However instead of catching her fist or pushing it away, his arm went to the side and grabbed her arm just behind the elbow, while his other fist swung low, right into Adaaya's stomach.

For a moment everything seemed to stand still, until Adaaya grinned and swung her head down, right onto Desolas'. The sudden shock sent him sprawling to the ground, and when he tried to get up, found his muscles burned and would not move as his vision dizzied for a second before returning to normal.

Then the bell rang, signaling the end of the fight with a roar of cheers so loud it could be heard even within the building.

After leaving and getting away from the mob of people congratulation and approving of the fight on both sides, the two of them made it to a small café, where Adaaya ordered two orders of something called fries, and was eating her share with gusto.

"Ugh, my arms ache." Desolas complained as he ate a fry, having discovered a mere moment before that for something so simple, they were outrageously good!

"Yeah, Spellcard rules stop people from taking permanent damage, so instead they just exhaust people by sapping their stamina for each blow they take." Adaaya said as she tossed a fry in her mouth. "A fallback from when it was used just in Gensokyo to stop incidents, I guess."

"No, I'm pretty sure I'm aching because you hit like a Spirits damned cruiser!" Desolas grumbled. "How do you hit so hard anyway? I know you look strong compared to other humans around but still."

"Ah, well I do work out to keep my martial arts in top performance, but it's also because of my race." Adaaya said with a grin.

"A, Roc, right? Is that some kind of bird youkai then?"

"Yes. I know you won't get the history of it, so I'll just explain it simply. "Rocs are bird youkai known for their size and massive strength and toughness. I can go toe to toe with an Ogre, a Wendigo or even an Oni if I push myself hard enough!" Adaaya declared.

" . . Aren't Oni the toughest youkai race? I think I read that a week or so back." Desolas asked nervously.

"Yep. They are really fun to drink with too. Though drinking and fighting is sometimes the same thing to them, so it's sometimes a problem."

Desolas looked at Adaaya for a moment before leaning back in his seat and sighing. "No wonder I lost, I was fighting an organic tank!"

"That can fly, amplify her own strength and toughness and is proficient in wind magic!" Adaaya said with a smile as she casually tossed a fry into her mouth and reached for another, only to find she had finished them.

"You can do all that?"

"Yep. Roc's can temporarily amplify their own strength and toughness, and most avian Youkai have an affinity for wind magic. Though admittedly my wind magic is still pretty simple."

"Magic, huh?" Desolas muttered as he took a fry and took a bite out of it. "How does it work?"

"How does what work?"

"Magic. A lot of people don't believe in it, but I've seen Alliance people use it; do things that should be impossible. So how does it work?"

"Oh. That's. . . hard to explain without it taking half the day." Adaaya said with a scowl. "or longer."

"Oh, I see." was all Desolas said as he slumped back in his chair, his muscle aches slowly beginning to disappear as he noticed a large building of blue steel in the distance. "What's that building?"

"Hmmm, oh, that's the Research Exhibition hall being by Alliance R&D. They're showcasing new technologies that are soon to be released or in prototyping stages. They usually have an assortment of stuff, from amazing to minor to look at. Want to take a look?"

Desolas did not even need to think about it and nodded. "Lets, I am curious as to what will be there."

"So am I!" Adaaya replied with a grin as they both got up began walking over.

Entering the Exhibition Hall Desolas found it to be a simple building, but very effective for its needs. It had no internal walls, and was just simply its outer walls and open areas. In the area stalls and smaller areas were set up with temporary walls, making areas that allowed inventions to be showcased without impeding other.

There was one area showcasing Alliance terraforming technology through pieces of equipment and videos, another showing off an exoskeletal frame for moving heavy equipment, and even a place showcasing an R&D Techs personal project, a simple and very blocky, but functional mechanized suit almost fifteen feet tall. It was very slow though, and clearly labeled as a proof of concept to get the idea off the ground.

What caught Desola's attention the most however was the massive stall that took up half the length of the entire building, a long closed range, stating clearly that it allows people to test out basic Alliance weaponry in the forms of small pistols and simple rifles. Adaaya only chuckled when she noticed where Desolas's eyes were glued, and followed him over, finding that there were a quite a few Council species watching the range, more interested in seeing the equipment used than using it themselves.

As Adaaya and Desolas walked up to the front of the range, a man walked out from behind the desk, smiling at them. "Greetings, here to try out the weapons?" He said as he looked to Desolas.

"uh, how do you know that?"

The man smiled. "Because I can recognize the gait of a military man at four hundred meters, and you both scream trained to kill. But a . . . Roc, I believe?" he asked, getting a happy nod from Adaaya. "Very good. A Roc who has training would already be part of our forces and knows these weapons inherently well. You however, a Turian of the Council, will not understand our weapons, and as you're not just watching and approaching me, you want to try them. Simple deduction."

"Well it's pretty effective then as you got us." Adaaya said with a smile. "Can I show him the basics?"

The man seems to think to himself for a moment, until Adaaya slipped the one strap on her tank top, showing the man the N5 logo underneath on her sports top. "Fair enough, hard to argue with that. Use the closest firing lane; it's large enough for three people, even with your wingspan. I've just unlocked it."

"Thanks!" Adaaya called as the door to the one gun booth opened up and Desolas went in first followed by Adaaya.

The booth was open on the front with a waist high barricade and small controls to create targets, while on the left wall was an array of weapons, four in total. Two pistols, and two rifles. Picking up one of the pistols Desolas looked it over, admiring its design. It was sleek, with a small circular slightly upraised section on the one side. He could see no way to take it apart, and it only had a single button on the one side and the trigger.

"The button is the safety, if its depressed its in safe mode, just press it in and it should pop out, allowing you to fire it." Adaaya explained as she reached over and tapped a control, forming a stone target downrange.

Desolas raised the pistol, turned off the safety and aimed at the target for a second, then pulled the trigger. A single yellow laser seared down the range, striking the side of the target. "So it's one of those laser weapons. It has no recoil." Desolas muttered as he took aim again, loosening his grip and tensing muscles before he fired, hitting the centre of the target perfectly. "That's a little strange, the lack of recoil, I mean."

"All laser weapons fire is a short laser of pure heat energy, so there's nothing kinetic to cause any recoil. Any excess pressure on the weapon, especially a pistol can hurt your aim through because of it, especially if you're used to recoil. Try that rifle next."

"Why not the other pistol?" Desolas asked as she put the one pistol down and took the rifle anyway.

"Trust me, save that other pistol for last." Adaaya said with a grin as Desolas looked over the rifle in his hands.

Like the pistol its design was sleek, albeit a bit blockier due to its size. It had the same cylinder on the side, but the size of the weapon fit in his hands better and was not as uncomfortable. Touching the side he found the safety beside a small dial and looked it over, finding the dial had options, semi, burst and auto. Moving it to semi he glanced down the sight on the top of the barrel finding no scope, and pulled the trigger, sending one red laser down range. Letting go of the trigger he tapped it a couple times, sending a shot off each time and smiled, then set it to burst an did the same, perforating the stone target.

Then as he switched it to auto, Adaaya flicked a switch, filling the range with a dozen stone targets. Desolas pulled the trigger and held it, sending a swarm of red lasers down range until the gun stopped firing. Then to his surprise, the metal disc popped out about an inch and a half, spun around a third of the way and then went back In, hissing as a stream of steam sped out from the gun at an angle in front of him.

"Alliance weapons automatically reload?"

"Yup. The rotating drum holds three heat blocks. When one fills it is moved to the front, where it vents heat while another is being filled. Makes for a really quick turnaround time in combat." Adaaya grinned. "The next weapons another type. Watch its recoil!"

Desolas put the laser rifle back in its spot and picked up the second rifle, finding it heavier than the first. It also looked a bit more rugged, and its heat disk looked thicker, bulkier as it stuck out a bit more. Hefting the rifle up to his shoulder he tensed his muscles, preparing for the apparent recoil and pulled the trigger. A beam of white energy roared out of the gun, pulling it up and making Desolas grunt as he held it steady, and barely a second later he was forced to let g of the trigger, only to find four targets in a perfect line with holes melted through them.

"Spirits!"

"Yep, massive kick, but the continues beam can cut through a lot. Beam tech is used to carve up asteroids in mining too. Last ones a pulse pistol, rare because of its kick, so watch out."

Desolas nodded and exchanged weapons, looking over the pistol. It was as large as a Carnifex and very heavy. It was also the blockiest of the weapons, and looked woefully designed with odd angles and cutbacks on its casing. Holding it with both hands he aimed and pulled the trigger, feeling in that moment as if his arm was going to rip off. A single green ball was ejected from the barrel, zipping downrange and into a target where it exploded into a mass of electrified liquid and acid.

"How does anyone use this thing?" Desolas asked as he put it on the holder and shook his hand. It felt slightly numb.

"They don't. The kick on a pulse pistol is too great and the mechanisms work best in a rifle, that's why pulse pistols are rare. That's an older model too." Adaaya explained as she open the back of the booth, only for a loud situation to be happening right outside.

"Excuse me, sir. I believe I may have misheard you, would you please repeat that?" the white haired human asked a Salarian standing before him.

"I said, please hand over all makes and models of Alliance weaponry you have to me. Now." The Salarian said, oddly slow for one of his kind at that, as if he was trying be understood.

"It seems I had not misheard you." the man said with a sigh. "Unless you're wanting to try out the weapons here, please leave, you're pushing away guests."

"I will not leave. And if you will not hand over copies of your weapons I will take them by force. Is that understood?"

The man looked at the Salarian with a scowl. "No, you won't. Who do you think you are anyway?"

"Jondum Bau, Citadel Special Tactics and Reconnaissance."

"He does realize that Council Spectre's have no jurisdiction here, right?" Adaaya asked Desolas as they watched the scene unfold before them.

"If he's making demands like that, no, he doesn't." Desolas replied with a sigh. "Probably thinks he has to be obeyed if it's still for the 'sake of the galaxy.'"

"I take it you don't like Spectres?"

"I don't hate them. I just think they need oversight. There are far too many rumors of Spectres engaging in illegal deals and the like for personal gain, while being untouchable because of being Spectres. Should we call security or something to break it up?"

"No need, look." Adaaya said with a grin.

"Is something wrong?" a woman asked as she stepped up behind Bau, making him turn to her in preparation to tell her off, until he froze at the sight of her.

Standing before him was an Alliance woman nearly twice his height. She had a long red horn coming out of her forehead, and chainless manacles of heavy iron on both wrists and ankles. She wore a Yukata, loose around her large chest, with a pattern of sake pottery and chains upon it, and held a massive red sake dish in her left hand.

"It is no concern of yours, citizen. Please leave." Bau said, quickly recovering as he turned back to the man, only for the woman to grab him by the shoulder.

"Names Yuugi Hoshiguma, Operative of the Alliance. You called yerself a Spectre earlier, yeah?"

"Yes. Jondu Bau, Special Tactics and-," Bua was stopped when Yuugi suddenly took a step forward, drinking deeply from her Sake dish.

"You realize that you have no influenc0,e or jurisdiction, in Alliance space, right?"

"A Spectre's jurisdiction is wherever they must go to keep galactic peace, so please stand back while I-,"

"While you harass our people? I don't think so." Yuugi said with a grin. "Get out or I'll knock you out and ship you right back to your Citadel!"

"You would not dare!? These weapons must be brought to the Citadel for study into countermeasures in case-"

"Don't care, last warning!" Yuugi stated as she drank more from her dish.

Bau looked at her and sighed, his one hand slowly reaching to his lower back where an object was attached to his clothing. "This is for the safety of the galaxy, so forgive me."

"Huh?" Yuugi replied, just as Bau took out a stun stick and thrust it into her stomach, flashes and sparks emanating off from it.

Bau took a step back, expecting Yuugi to fall, but instead her free hand shot out and grabbed Bau by the head, lifting him a meter off the ground.

"Unhand me this-," Bau tried to say, until Yuugi started shaking him side to side while casually taking a drink from her dish. As soon as she finished drinking she stopped shaking Bau, and as soon as his mouth opened to speak, she slammed her fist, along with his head, into the ground beside her.

Letting go and looking him over Yuugi smiled, finding him no worse for wear thanks to the spell card rules, but completely unconscious. Then she picked him up by an ankle and waved to those around. "Sorry for the mess everyone. I'll leave you to your fun now!"

Desolas watched Yuugi leave before he looked to Adaaya, shock covering his face. "Did, did she just take out that Spectre with one hand?!"

"Yep, she's an Oni, arguably the strongest and toughest Youkai race in existence. Also one of the Operatives who helped defend Shanxi, and one of the strongest Oni known."

"So, she hates aliens."

"No, she just hates those who get In the way of her drinking."

"What?"

"Well, most Oni are raving drunks at the best of times."

"Huh?"

"Ah, sorry about that." the man running the firing range said apologetically as he bowed to Adaaya and Desolas. "That was the third one today, but the only one who tried to force the matter."

"Other spectres have come to take your weapons?" Desolas asked in surprise.

"Oh no, I don't think they were Spectres, just a Turian and Krogan, both wanting to buy weapons off of me. Fools." he said as he shook his head before looking to Desolas with his previous smile. "Good shooting by the way, I'm surprised you took the recoil on the beam rifles so well. Most people get knocked on the floor."

"Well, I'm military, err, ex-military now." Desolas said before shaking his head.

"Ah, I understand. I shan't say another word. Oh, but while the two of you were in the booth, an announcement came up saying the Heads of the Magical Academies have opened a booth outside somewhere. Might be worth looking into."

With a nod both Desolas and Adaaya left the firing range, and after looking at the rest of the things in the exhibition hall, left to find two people floating in the sky above them, firing colorful bolts and magic at each other.

One person was a woman with black wings coming out of her back and a strange object in one hand that looked like an overgrown leaf, while the other was a man wearing dark clothes. The woman seemed to control the wind itself, while the man seemed to sling lashes of molten metal at the woman that would gather in the air and return to his side. They continued fighting for a moment, before their fight moved elsewhere, mainly from the woman blowing the man backwards with a gust of wind that echoed between the stalls.

"So, it's true then." Desolas said simply as he stared up, bewildered. "Alliance citizens without wings can fly."

"Yep, it just takes learning some basic magic." Adaaya said simply. "Most people learn by the time they're twelve or thirteen, though there's a lot of rules as to where people can fly, especially on Earth where powerlines still exist above ground in some places."

"They learn that early?"

"Yeah, it's pretty simple magic really . . . say, want to go see the setup the High magicians have?"

Desolas nodded instantly. "Sure, I'm interest in how magic works, though I doubt . . . never mind."

The two of them discovered rather quickly that the magicians set up was on one edge of the festival area, nearly a two hour walk away. Using this to their advantage they hit other places on the way, including getting something called Indian for a meal before finally arriving at their objective.

The area of the magicians appeared to be multifaceted. A large arena stood at the back where groups of magicians either showed off their skills or duelled each other, and to either side of it where large screens, one showing the battle and the other images of different kinds of magic.

In front of this was a long table with four signs over top of it. Information and Questions, Arena Entry, Advanced Studies, and finally, Aptitude Testing, were all written on the signs in order, and beneath them were numerous people behind the counters, and many more in front of them. The arena section was full of Alliance people, while the information area was surrounded by Council races. Advance studies and the aptitude testing spots however, did not have too many. Mainly because an Asari stood between them, making a horrendous ruckus.

"You do realize this is racism, right?" the Asari claimed loudly.

"No, it is not. It is simple facts. Now please leave, you are dissuading others from approaching." one person behind the counter replied, sounding very calm.

"It is! You're being racist! Do you even know who I am? What I could do to you all! I could destroy your social lives with one simple call!" The Asari argued, tilting her head enough that Desolas realized who it was. Tela Vasir, an Asari Spectre rumored to have pirate connections!

"That's it, that's too far!" Adaaya said with a growl as she began stomping toward the Asari.

"Wait, that's a Spectre!" Desolas said as he sped up and walked beside Adaaya, trying to talk some sense into her. "We should wait for one of your Operatives, right?"

"No. she's obviously harassing the person behind the counter, and I will not stand for it!" Adaaya said as she stormed up behind the Asari, stopping a bare meter away and flapping her wings out a bit to make herself seem larger. "Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing, harassing people in broad daylight!?"

Vasir stopped, seemingly frozen for a moment before she slowly turned to look at Adaaya, clearly caught off guard by her standing there with her wings spread. She did, however, compose herself rather quickly and fully turned to face her. "Are you talking to me?" She asked arrogantly, acting as if she wasn't sure.

"Do you see anyone else harassing people in broad daylight?" Adaaya asked as she glared at Vasir, her wings shifting naturally.

"I was not harassing anyone. I was simply gathering information. Now run along before you get dragged into something beyond your understanding!" Vasir said as she tried to turn around, stopping when Adaaya spoke up again.

"Miss, was this Asari threatening you?" Adaaya asked loudly, looking past Vasir to the one behind the counter, a young looking woman with long red hair and bat like wings coming out of her back.

"Not threatening, but being a pain, yes. She was making demands I had no rights over and," the woman began to say, until Vasir turned to her and took an aggressive step toward her.

"Why you little-,"

"I think that is enough!" came a sudden and powerful new voice. Everyone nearby turned to look to the voice's owner, and almost every Alliance person within earshot and sight of the scene took visible steps back and bowed. Adaaya even bowed as well, though it was only a half bow as she kept one eye locked on Vasir.

Standing at the end of the table out in the open was a woman with long purple hair. She was wearing an elegant yet impressive looking robe of purple with a belt of multicolored crystal around her waist. A cloak of darker purple hung off her shoulders and trailed down to her knees while a small bulge, possibly a hood, poked out from under her hair. Her purple eyes held no emotion in them that could be seen as she looked at Vasir.

She slowly looked to the red head behind the counter. "Thank you, Koa, you are done for today. Please enjoy the festival, but please do not do anything to extreme."

"Of course, Lady Patchouli. I shall return later." the woman said with a bow before flying off, scowling at Vasir as she did.

Vasir turned to Patchouli with her mouth open, but before she could say anything Patchouli already was. "So, please explain what exactly is going on here." She asked, looking at Vasir, then to Adaaya, and then to Desolas with a curious look.

"We heard a disturbance and found this Asari harassing your familiar, Lady Patchouli," Adaaya said quickly, sounding oddly respectful as she spoke, though she did not become any less tense, nor did her wings shift from their positons. "I approached her to convince her to stop."

Patchouli looked at Vasir, "And what do you say to this, miss . . ."

"Tela Vasir, Council Spectre!" Vasir said proudly. "I told your worker to give me all information about your people's magic and she refused, stating that the Asari's could not use magic. Yet this has not been proven, as your people have not allowed any Asari to attempt it!"

"You ordered her to just hand over the information? How much exactly?"

"All of it. Everything related to magic in its entirety."

"And what exactly gives you the right to make demands of my people?" Patchouli asked, dozens of people nearby suddenly muttering and whispering to each other as they began slowly stepping back. It made Desolas nervous, who was this person really to cause such a reaction?

"Right? I'm a Spectre, that's my right!" Vasir exclaimed. "Spectres can take what they feel is necessary to galactic peace, and that includes information!"

"You forget yourself, Council attack dog!" Patchouli said darkly, her cloak and robe suddenly seeming to drift and sway as if pulled by unseen winds. "You Spectres have no power in Alliance space, and we have no reason to obey your demands. I suggest you leave and reconsider your position while here in Alliance space!"

"And this is why the councillors are fools; making you Alliance weaklings think you are so strong. I'm not going anywhere, and you are giving me what I want!" Vasir exclaimed as she slipped a sword out of a sheathe on her back.

"Very well. Then you may feel firsthand the magic you so desire to witness. I am Patchouli Knowledge, Operative of the Alliance, and Headmaster of the Magic Academy Ship Philosophe, one of the Alliances four highest ranking magicians, known to most as the Great Unmoving Library. Come; let us see if it is pride or arrogance that moves you!"

"As if. The Asari have been around longer than any of your species, yet you call us arrogant?" Vasir said before lunging straight towards Patchouli, only for her to duck under the blade and hover across the grass, stopping a couple meters away. Throwing her hand into the air she smiled. "Saint Elmo's Pillar!" And conjured a ball of flame as large as a Krogan above her head.

So surprised by the sudden ball of fire, Vasir only realized Patchoulis' intent after she had summoned it, right as if flew towards her, striking the ground before her. The blast of fire roared and sent Vasir bouncing across the grass, only stopping when she caught herself with her sword, her clothing smoking.

"You, that is . . . . You would not get way with such things if these worthless bracelets were gone!" Vasir said as she got up and stabbed her sword into the ground, gripping the bracelets on her wrists and trying to wrench them off.

"Asari were given more powerful and studier bracelets to block their biotics, they will not come off through brute force." Patchouli said as she pointed a finger at Vasir. "Noachian Deluge!"

A massive spray of water surged forth out in front of Patchouli's finger, buffeting Vasir with the force of a heavy slug with each shot of water. She took the first couple while standing, but the rest send her flailing backwards away from her sword, parts of her clothing tearing from the abuse.

"You, you only can do anything because my biotics are sealed by these Goddess damned bracelets! I will see these banned from all galactic space!" Vasir roared as she got up and shambled over to her sword, pulling it out of the ground and walking toward Patchouli angrily.

Patchouli let out a sigh. "This is not even a fight, it is simply a beat down, and would still be even if you had your biotics. Stand down before I finish it and have you sent back to council space in a box, understood?"

Vasir yelled out and rushed toward Patchouli, the sword to her side, clearly intent on using it.

"Haaa . . . Emerald Megalopolis!" Patchouli said under her breath as Vasir neared her. What happened next caused everyone nearby except for a small handful including Adaaya to nearly jump out of their skins in surprise. Massive columns of solid emerald suddenly surged out of the ground in waves coming away from her, and before Vasir could stop she was struck in the chin by the first one, then had her body sent flying by another, landing unconscious on the nearby grass. "Thank goodness for the spell card rules." Patchouli muttered as she walked over, directly toward Adaaya and Desolas.

"Um," Adaaya began, only for Patchouli to shake her head.

"Thank you for coming to the defence of my familiar, but you understand a master must protect those who serve them, yes?"

"Of course, and it was no trouble." Adaaya said instantly, her body relaxing as her wings fell back to their usual casual width.

Patchouli nodded and looked her over. "You were coming over to our area, yes? Are you looking to learn magic . . . no, you're a Roc. Looking to advance your studies perhaps?"

"Actually I have already applied for advanced studies, but I was coming over to see if I could check if I was accepted, and to escort my friend here." Adaaya said as she gestured to Desolas.

"Um, hello."

Patchouli nodded before looking back to Adaaya. "What is your name?" She asked as she took out what at first glance looked like a book, but was then noticed to be a small two screened tablet made to look like a book.

"Adaaya Nicotris Shepard, N5 Special Forces of the Seventeenth BladeBrakers."

Patchouli nodded and tapped her tablet a couple times. "Ah yes, I remember now. You would be approved for study, however due to Council requests and our own curiosity; all four of our academies will be taking a one year break to run a special course to see if Council races, not Asari, can learn magic."

". . . So I'll have to wait another year then. Crap!" Adaaya said with an annoyed scowl.

"Yes, however, you mentioned being an N5, correct?"

"Yes."

"Good. You see, currently just the four of us will be acting as teachers, but with the number of potential applicants, there will be far too many students for just the four of us to mentor effectively. As such we are looking into requesting some of our usual high magician's teachers to assist. Marisa and I believe however that having some who is younger and more recent in their learnings of magic would benefit the course. So what do you say? Act as an assistant teacher for this special course, and I shall guarantee your advanced study entry on the Philosophe afterword's, as well as grant you a boon related to your studies."

Adaaya looked at Patchouli in surprise for a few seconds before composing herself and closing her gaping mouth. "Of course. I would be honored, Miss Knowledge!"

"Good." Patchouli said with a nod, as she looked to Desolas. "She said she was escorting you around yes? What is your name, Turian?"

"Desolas Arterius." Desolas replied, unsure how to act in front of someone who just gave such an effective show of force, or who commanded one of the massive ship of the Alliance as an Operative.

"Arterius? Ah yes I know who you are!" Patchouli said, making Desolas suddenly nervous. "Don't worry, I'm not going to say anything out loud. Let's just say I know what you did and approve. Did you come this way out of a curiosity of magic?"

Desolas nodded. "Yes. I've seen it used frequently today already, but I am curious about how your people manipulate it to create such, fantastical effects."

"There have been many asking us such questions, and the basic information is over there by the mass of people." Patchouli said with a gesture, before smiling. "Would you like to try something however?"

"Try what?"

"An aptitude test. We've had very few people try them, but some Salarians and a Drell who did it had some aptitude for magic. It's a non-invasive test, and it will say if you have the aptitude, and if you have an affinity for any one type of magic." Patchouli explained as she walked over to the aptitude test area of the table, gesturing for Desolas and Adaaya to follow. On the table was a large dark metal plate with a glowing sphere on it, glowing runes and shapes shifting and forming other shapes across its surface. "Simply place one hand on the sphere, and the other to your side with your palm facing up." Patchouli said as she floated up and over the table, landing on the other side as she touched a console by the sphere, making it light up and hum ever so slightly.

Seeing nothing wrong with it Desolas stepped forward and did as told, placing one hand on the sphere and the other up towards the sky. As soon as he touched it, it felt like a weak current ran through him, but it was strangely cool and calmly, not warm or painful.

"Hmmm, you have a pretty high base aptitude according to this." Patchouli said with a smile. "I'll now test affinity. Small lampoons of magical energy will appear above your open hand, the larger the form, the higher your affinity. Do not close your hand!"

"She means it. Closing an untrained hand on magic can lead to losing that hand, like gripping a live grenade." Adaaya added, making Desolas slightly nervous.

"Alright, I understand." Desolas said as she felt the current change slightly, though he couldn't even try to describe it.

A second later a small ball of fire formed above Desolas hand, making him shy away for a second before realizing he felt no heat off of it. Twitching a finger the ball of light moved slightly then changed into a large bubble of water. Then it miraculously turned into a clump of floating dirt and stones, then a small hand sized spiral of wind, visible only from particles within it. All of them were relatively small, until it changed again.

The little spiral of wind disappeared, and in its place formed a small ball of energy, arcs of electricity arcing into the air around it. The ball grew in size, from barely the size of a grain of sand, to nearly the size of any person's entire head, the energy arcs coming off of it, increasing exponentially as its size did.

"Hmm, impressive electrical affinity." Patchouli said with a smile as the electricity disappeared and was replaced by flecks of metal balling together to the size of Desolas's hand. "And metal affinity as well it seems."

"This feels so strange." Desolas mumbled as he moves his fingers about, causing the ball of metal to shift and even split in two, before returning to normal.

"Magic can feel strange the first time someone touches it, but after that it begins to feel normal." Adaaya provided as the metal suddenly became a small ball of light, then a mass of darkness that seemed to suck in light, instead of creating it. Then it disappeared, and the machine stopped humming.

"There, done. This machine cannot check affinity for spiritual or Omni magic, but it seems you have a great affinity for electrical magic, followed by metal and darkness. The rest of the elements are minor."

"I see." Desolas said as he took is hand away from the machine, still conscious of that strange feeling.

"That's pretty good for affinity, actually!" Adaaya said as she smacked Desolas on the back with a smile.

"Is it?"

"Yes." Patchouli responded as she stood up and placed the tablet on the table. "For those who have decent aptitude scores we have been offering a special privilege. To put ti simply, we want to see if Council races can learn magic. Those who agree will spend one year on my ship, taking a crash course in the basics of magic, learning what all our people do from the age of eight, to eighteen in one year."

Desolas looked at Patchouli for a second before he realised what was going on. "You're asking if I want to take your course on magic."

Patchouli nodded. "Yes. Adaaya here has already agreed to be one of the courses assistants as you heard, and your affinities are the highest of all those who have already joined. What do you say?"

" . . I'll, need to talk to my boss about it I think, if I even decide to that is." Desolas said, unsure of what to do. On one hand, the idea of controlling magic was very tempting. On the other hand, he had a job protecting people.

A job that didn't feel right, or even fulfilling in any way.

"That is fine. The course begins the day after Reitaisai, so I need to know before then. Take your time to decide."

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Kaguya Houraisen smirked as she watched a Youkai drag a Turian around the festival below her. Who said they couldn't get along with the Council races!

"Is something funny?"

"No, I merely witnessed something enjoyable outside." Kaguya said as she turned back to the one who was sitting across from her. "So, to reiterate, you want the Alliance to cure your people of the Genophage. Is that correct, Shaman Bakara of the Krogan?"

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Codex

Magic/Eezo Repulsion or containment bracelet – These bracelets, initially designed to protect magicians from mass effect fields, have since been redesigned to also protect biotics from magic. They can be altered to form a sort of containment field around the body as well, stopping the wearer from casting magi or biotics. The alliance has not allowed council scientists to look over them or scan them, and it is clear that the council wants them for security purposes, and other groups for less legal reasons.


	18. CH18 Changing times - pt 1

**Authors note: Decided to split this chapter up into two, maybe three parts to get it out in sections, otherwise it'd easily be the end of the month till it would come out.**

 **enjoy!**

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 **Shanxi Theta System, Shanxi orbit. August 12, 2138. Two days after the end of Reitaisai.**

Desolas Arterius stared out the viewport of the passenger cruiser, looking down at Shanxi as the ship moved further and further away. The green continent, surrounded by brilliant blue was like an eye staring out to space. The idea of it did not make him nervous though, and he figure that he had Reitaisai to thank for that.

The Alliances festival had been more than just a cultural exchange, or a way for the Alliance to show off. He had seen Alliance weapons, tried dozens of types of food, saw different views of Alliance history in vids and stage plays, and had even found out he had an affinity for magic. And that was just the simplest things to remember.

"You look like you're homesick," Adaaya said with a chuckle.

"Hardly," Desolas said as he turned to Adaaya who was seated across from him, taking up not one, but three entire seats due to her wings. "It just feels like it went by so fast. The festival, I mean."

"Yeah, it has a habit of doing that. Even after going multiple times it always passes by too fast." Adaaya said with a smile as she leaned forward in her chair and looked at Desolas, her expression suddenly becoming neutral. "You look like you're trying to keep your mind off of something though."

Desolas let out a sigh, part annoyance and part a strange amazement. He had run around the festival with Adaaya for nine of the ten days, and in that time she had gotten a strange understanding of his expressions. It took most Asari or Salarians many years to grasp a Turians facial expressions, yet she had done so in just over a week. "Yes. I'm . . . . . anxious, I guess. That and I'm surprised that Executor Pallin agreed so quickly."

"Hey, if more Alliance people go to the Citadel, some are bound to be magicians, it makes sense to learn about it and know how to counter it. Though that information will take a long while to spread!" Adaaya said with a knowing grin as she leaned back. "What made you take Patchouli up on it though? Curiosity, or something more?"

"Honestly, I'm not completely sure. Curiosity, and maybe a hope to find something, I guess." Desolas replied as he looked back out the window at Shanxi. It had been on the first day that he had found out his affinity for magic, and it had taken him four days of deliberation before he had called Executor Pallin, his boss, to explain the situation. Surprisingly, Pallin had suggested he take the offer, saying that it would count as advanced external training, and that had been the end of it. Later that day he had returned to Patchouli, and told him he would take her up on the idea.

From that point on, Adaaya took it upon herself to help Desolas pick out equipment and personal effects she said he'd find useful in the class, as well as showing him which clothing stores would be more economical and effective. Honestly, her help had been very useful, and he would have been lost without the aid.

Though admittedly some of the supplies she insisted he would need seemed, strange, bulky, and even archaic.

"Good a reason as any other." Adaaya said with a grin as suddenly purple lights began flashing in the passenger cabin. "Oh, boundary slip warning. You're not used to them, right?"

"The one that brought us to Shanxi made me feel like I was dying from the inside out for an hour." Desolas replied, cringing at the memory.

"Then you'll want to strap yourself in, just in case."

Just as he did as Adaaya suggested, the ship entered its slip and everything changed. The light in the cabin became odd, and for Desolas, the effect was different from before. He felt light, like his body had no mass yet was still affected by physics. Like his entire body was changing, becoming something else, and after a few seconds, the feeling passed like it had never been present. "That was, different."

"The first slip is always the worst, and after a while you just stop noticing them." Adaaya said with a grin as she tilted her head to the wall. "Look out the window."

Desolas did and felt awed all over again. Darkness flecked with wisps of purple light flooded the space outside of the ship, making it seem as if the ship was moving though a dark mass, or a black hole. Going through a mass relay had a similar effect to using a mass effect drive, a blue aura would surround the ship, passing over it at incredibly fast speeds. The difference between the two forms of travel was staggering, and while a mass relays effects were beautiful, this felt oddly refreshing. "Why does it look like that? I've done a bit of reading on it, but the information is vague and confusing."

"It is confusing." Adaaya admitted with a scowl. "Boundary principle physics are probably the hardest science in existence, as it deals with nonexistence."

"I remember reading that. Do we seriously not exist right now?"

"Kind of, it's complicated and I'm not sure of the exactness of it, but we exist within nonexistence, and the boundary drive uses that to pull the ship through vast distance in a short amount of time because of it."

"I remember, the travel time on the other passenger ship of the Alliances from the Citadel to Shanxi was extremely fast. Only a couple of hours and we were there." Desolas said as he glanced around, seeing many people walking around the central area of the cabin. "This one is different, however."

"Well yeah, this passenger cruiser is smaller and not meant for just passengers." Adaaya said with a shrug.

"What do you mean?"

"The liner that went to the Citadel was a very simplistic one, get people from point a to b. This cruiser is more advanced, and takes far less time to get to the destination. The only council citizens on it are those who are coming deeper into Alliance space to learn on the Philosophe. Like you."

"I see . . . Do you know how many are part of the . . .program?" Desolas asked, having to take a moment to find the right word.

"Yes and no." Adaaya said as she tapped her wrist comp and brought it to life, a screen appearing off of it. "I know that the Citadel Council requested a handful of people for it including a half dozen military officers and a single spectre, but I don't know how many regular civilians accepted."

"I see. Do you know which spectre?" Desolas asked curiously.

"No. they would be on this ship however, if you want to go hunting for them."

"No, we'll see them when we dock." Desolas said as he pulled his gaze away from the window, feeling like the wisps of energy outside were pulling him in. "You said this ship was heading deeper into Alliance territory, but where exactly?"

Adaaya grinned as the ship suddenly lurched, and the lighting returned to normal. Glancing out the window Desolas saw something that made his eyes go wide and his mandibles spread in surprise. Out in the darkness was a space station. It was shaped like a pair of crescents with their backs to each other, one small and one large, and along the edge of the larger crescent were dozens of massive ships, each one easily over a kilometer long. "Welcome to Arcturus, the Alliance shipyard!" Adaaya said with a smile as she got up and stretched her wings up towards the roof.

"That . . . . . that looks massive! All the Alliance ships are maintained here?"

"No, not all of them." Adaaya said as she reached to a rack above them and pulled down the large metal case of Desolas's and her own duffel bag of belongings. "Arcturus is our capitol and dreadnaught docks, both for their creation and maintenance. Some cruisers too as it maintains Operative ships as well."

"What about other ships then?" Desolas asked as Adaaya began walking away down a hall, Desolas following.

"There are other docks around some planets, and smaller ships can use planet side spaceports for maintenance as well. We'll be docking soon, and then we need to find the Philosophe's bay. Though someone will probably be waiting for us once we get off."

"Right." Desolas replied as the two of them went down the halls of the ship alongside many others. Most people were Alliance, but the few Council citizens looked either worried, anxious, or giddy with excitement as they moved through the halls, some constantly talking to others and never stopping.

Leaving the cruiser and entering onto Arcturus station itself Desolas, and all the other Council citizens, found it to be far more utilitarian than they had first thought it would be. The floors were made of grey steel plates, walls of steels a shade lighter, and the ceiling the same. Columns of steel, many with cables running through them and protected by cases of glass shot up out of the floor at regular intervals up to the roof. At the end of the dock was a pair of doorways, one with a terminal of sorts by it, as well as a pair of guards in cloth uniforms, but with large rifles in their hands. For a couple seconds no Council citizen knew where to go as most of the Alliance people headed for the doors, causing some to nervously follow. As Desolas tried Adaaya grabbed his shoulder and held him back, just as the second of the two large doors opened, and a woman strode through with an arrogant step and a brilliant smile upon her face.

The Alliance people bowed or waved to her as they passed her, and she stopped before the assembled Council races and those Alliance people that remained behind, likely the assistant teachers and helpers for the course. To the Council people she looked extremely strange, her clothing being a combination of cloth and strange metal sections upon it, including bulky blocks on her wrists. But to those who recognized her, she was brimming with enthusiasm, and they quietly braced themselves for it.

"Hey there, everyone! Just to check first, all of you are here for the basic magic instruction course, either as a student or an assistant, yeah?" the blonde loudly asked, making some Council people visibly stunned and surprised.

After a couple seconds of nods and quiet, nervous assertions the blonde smiled.

"Alright then, introductions! Names Marisa Kirisame, Alliance Operative, and Headmaster of the MAS Final Spark! I'm often called the ordinary magician, the love magician, the potion breaker or the spark mage, and will be acting as one of the four head teachers for your course alongside Patchouli, Alice and the other!" Marisa said with a big smile, seeming almost larger than life.

For a few moments no one said anything, then one person, a rough and angry looking Turian, strode forward." Your ship is that giant gun? The one that took out our fleet?" He asked angrily.

"Yes." Marisa said, her expression changing ever so slightly. It looked as if most did not notice, but Adaaya took a half step back, nudging Desolas to do the same. He could see it, her muscles tensed in an instant, ever so slightly, just enough to prepare her for whatever was to come.

"Then I shall take my revenge!" the Turian yelled as he ran at Marisa, pulling a knife out of his clothing as he went in for the strike.

"Oh?" Marisa said with a bemused expression as she skillfully dodged the Turians first blow, then his next, and the next. "So is this some sort of test, or are you actually out to kill me?"

"Of course I'm going to kill you. You killed hundreds of our people and think some monument will change that!?" the Turian yelled as Marisa dodged another blow, making him pull out a Carnifex. "Your security sucks!"

His shot rang out, sending a single mass accelerate round through the air at Marisa. Only for it to stop in front of her face and disappear as a flash of yellow passed around Marisa like a barrier.

"No, you think too highly of yourself." Marisa said as the block on her arm pieces shifted and floated in front of her hands, allowing her to grip them both. "You think you're skilled sneaking that onto the cruiser and here to use on me? No, our security people were ordered to ignore concealed carries, but to report them to us so we could get an idea of who were here for actually teaching, and who could be weeded out in the starting hours." Marisa said as she tensed her grip on the two Hakkero in her hands, their centres lighting up and humming with power. "I'll give you one chance. Stand down and drop all weapons you are carrying."

"Or what?" the Turian barked as he kept the Carnifex pointed at Marisa's head and fired three times, each heavy round colliding with Marisa's barrier and turning to nothing.

Marisa smiled and pointed one hand behind her, then with a flash, was propelled toward the Turian faster than most could blink. In that one moment, she swung her other hand into his chest, knocking the wind out of him, just as the Hakkero in the same hand flashed for just a bare half second.

The Turian flew up into the roof with an ear splitting crack, then after a couple seconds of his body being seemingly embedded into the steel, fell out and down onto the floor with a thud, blue blood spattering across the floor just to the side of where everyone gathered.

After almost a minute of complete silence Marisa turned to the group, hr expression cold and serious. "First lesson. Everyone teaching and assisting in this program are very capable of killing you if you give us reason. Anyone concealing weapons or mass effect technology that honestly wishes to learn magic drops them now, or back up to the side wall!"

Immediately two people, a Turian and Salarian, left the group and stood over by the wall that Marisa had pointed to, shocked expressions covering their faces. Seconds later four people began pulling out equipment from their pockets and dropping them to the floor.

When the sounds of falling technology and omni tools finally stopped, Desolas found that almost every second person had tried to bring something Element Zero powered with them. Was it so hard to just not rely on it for a time?

"Drop it!" Marisa said sternly as she walked up to a Drell and glared at him.

"What do you mean?" the Drell asked calmly.

Marisa let out a sigh of exasperation. "Look, I know you're the spectre the Council wanted in on this, but that does not mean you get special privileges. Drop it, or I drop you!"

"If I do, how am I to contact the Council to keep them informed of my actions?" the Drell countered, taking off his Omni tool and holding it in his grip firmly.

"You contact them through our technology, through our ambassador, that is how." Maria said simply. "If you have a problem with that, you can leave with those guys who realized their attempts at murder would be failures!" She added as she pointed to the ones at the wall, who now looked mortified, like they hadn't realized what they had been trying to do, or what would become of them.

". . . . . Very well." The spectre said with a sigh as he dropped the omni tool into Marisa's hand, or he would have, if she hadn't move it too fast for it to fall on the ground.

"Good, they'll be gathered up and returned when the course is finished, if you finish it. Alright everyone, follow me! We'll head through the doors where you'll be scanned again for anything not allowed, and then we'll head to the ship where everyone else is waiting for us." Marisa called out as her smile returned and she began walking to the door.

Luckily, no one had anything else on them, and the trip through the gate and down the expansive halls was unimpeded, at least by people's items. The massive docks, the ships in them, the magically powered cranes and the weapons and plating being held and moved by them, they all grabbed many people's attentions. What got the most reaction out of people however, was when the group arrived at the dock of the Philosophe, and saw the massive ship in all of its splendor, nearly so close they could touch it.

There was no chance to stop and gaze upon it though, as Marisa kept moving and guiding everyone into the ship and down its halls, halls that amazed as much as the exterior did. The floors were made of a dark wood, with the walls covered in similar paneling. The ceiling of each hall was black with globe like lights every meter. Strange ornamental sculptures and glowing symbols sat on pedestals in the hallways at random, and everyone could feel like they were being watched as they went through the halls, but could not see anything that would warrant such a feeling.

After a number of switchbacks however, they came to their destination, a library. In Council space, the idea of a library was that of a place with dozens of terminals where people could research whatever they needed. This library however was like those from stories of old, of times when electronics were rare, or even earlier when they did not exist.

The room they stood in was impossibly absurd, a room easily over thirty meters tall, and so long and wide you could not estimate its true size. Massive bookshelves sat in rows on either side of the room, reaching up to claw at the ceiling, each one full of tomes, massive books and scrolls. In front of them, with the shelves to either side, where a half dozen tables of dark red wood surrounded by chairs, and at the end of them, the other three magicians who would act as teachers.

As Marisa walked up to the three of them, Patchouli stepped forward and spoke, her voice like a commanding order as it echoed between the shelves. "Thank you, all of you who have chosen to accept our teachings on magic, I am Patchouli Knowledge, Headmaster of the Philosophe. Aside from myself, your primary teachers shall be Alice Margatroid, Marisa Kirisame, and Byakuren Hijiri. Would all of our assistants please step to the side, escorts may now leave."

Adaaya and about four others all walked over to the side, while the other Alliance people all backed up and left the room, much too many's surprise. Once they left the other blonde teacher at

Marisa's side stepped forward with a neutral expression. "My name is Alice Margatroid, these five people shall be acting as our assistants to teaching you, and as long as it does not break any rules you may ask them questions as you feel necessary. They can choose to not answer you however, if they deem the question to be inappropriate. In order, these are your assistant teachers. Mima, David Anderson, Kahlee Sanders, Adaaya Shepard and Conrad Verner. Each of them have differing skillsets and histories of magic, allowing them to help teach all of you in different ways and answer questions you may have."

"There is however, one last thing that we must discuss before we get to the true beginning of this course." Patchouli suddenly said as Alice stepped back. "The rules of this course. We will not be treating any of you with special privileges regardless of your race, or rank. While on the Philosophe, you will be treated like any other student for a regular advanced course, meaning the following. You are considered part of the Philosophe's crew, and will follow all regulations therein, including the assistance of minor maintenance. If the Philosophe engages in combat, all students are expected to assist in some way. Additionally, if you prove to be incapable of following the studies, or refuse to, you will be removed from the course. If you break rules, you will be removed from the course, and if you cannot pass regular examinations to prove your ability to learn, you will be removed from the course. As long as you understand these facets, all will be well. But just to make sure, are there any questions?"

No one moved to answer; though a fair number looked anxious or worried.

Patchouli smiled. "Good, then let us begin!"

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 **Aralakh System, orbit around Tuchanka. October 17, 2138.**

Eirin sighed as she stood at the back of the bridge of her own personal ship, a heavily modified Corpse hunter class light cruiser that she had named the Genesis. It was modified into a science cruiser, capable of holding tests and experiments on everything from biology to astrophysics.

To one side of the bridge stood her main and primary passenger and associate, the Krogan Shaman, Bakara, one who not only had the gall to request to speak to Kaguya herself, but had managed it, and even had provided a highly intelligent argument and reasons for what she was asking. It impressed Eirin that a shaman of a race the Council considered nothing but brutes could be so calm and prepared to do whatever she thought necessary for her people.

What didn't impress her was the space around the Krogan home world. There were no Krogan installations, but instead a trio of small Turian space stations, each one with long range cannons capable of tearing regular Council vessels to pieces. Judging from the long range scans of the guns however, they rarely saw use.

"Have they gotten back to you yet?" Eirin finally asked her pilot calmly.

The pilot shook her head, her doglike ears flopping side to side. "No, they said to hold, but I've been holding for almost an hour now. I'm guessing they're not sure what to do."

Eirin let out an exasperate groan, knowing part of the problem was that her vessel was marked as a science vessel, so it likely made the Turians on the station nervous about her intentions. It was well founded considering what she was here for, but the lack of response was unbelievable. "Those stations, what exactly are they for?" Eirin asked as she looked to Bakara.

"They monitor all traffic entering and leaving Tuchanka. The Turians idea of keeping peace. They stop any ship that is carrying ship grade weapons or parts. The intention is to stop my people from ever having our own ships. Doesn't stop those in the terminus though, so it's mostly for looks." Bakara answered, reasserting Eirin's respect for her, and like of her personality.

"If the Turians were informed of my true purpose here, what so you think they would do?"

"Deny your landing. Using force if they deemed it appropriate. And they would." Bakara said with a chuckle. "But your true purpose is not what is seems, now is it. Lady Kaguya already gave me the whole agreement. I just need to see our side come to fruition."

Eirin nodded in understanding. Bakara had gone to Kaguya to talk about saving the Krogan people. Curing the Genophage was an option, but Bakara had made it clear that the Council would never allow it, and that a cure would not save her people, merely doom them to a quicker extinction.

The two of them had come to an agreement. If Bakara could unify the Krogan peoples, introduce at least some semblance of a government, of a culture, some proof that they were not just the remnants of a people addicted to violence, but a thriving people, she would convince the Alliance to argue for the Korgan peoples independence, and more importantly, a work around for the Genophage.

She was not about to just send her off though, and had requested for Eirin to go to Tuchanka, both as an overseer, and as a scientist. As an overseer she would watch over Bakara's work and see how it progressed, giving Kaguya updates as required. While, as a scientist, she was there for her own purposes. Krogan biology was extremely interesting and curious, as was the biology of their planet. A nuclear war had annihilated much, as had the nuclear winter that came after. Yet according to Bakara, life still went on, plants and animals still existed, always fighting for dominance. She wanted to see what she could discover from the planets lifeforms, as well as see for herself just how ugly the Genophage was, both in its effects and its design.

"Ma'am, they've gotten back to us, and wish to speak to the ship's captain." The pilot said calmly.

Eirin nodded as she walked up to a terminal on the side wall and tapped it a couple times, making it go through the slightly complicated process of connecting their communications with Council communications technology.

"This is General Orix Glaucus of the Krogan DMZ scanning station, Vigilant. Whom am I speaking to?" came a Turian's voice as soon as the communications connected.

"I am Eirin Yagokoro, Alliance Operative and scientist of Alliance Research and Development. I am also the captain of the Genesis. Have you been informed to my reason for being here, or no?" Eirin asked, knowing that subordinates did not always relay everything they should to their superiors unless they were good at their jobs.

"I was informed of an Alliance vessel requesting clearance to land on Tuchanka, but not why. Please state your reason for coming here, Operative."

Eirin noted that she felt no hate in the Turians voice. He was simply addressing her as he would anyone else. He clearly took his job seriously, despite the idea that such postings were considered a punishment to most apparently. At least according to Bakara. "I have been invited by a Krogan shaman to assist in the investigation of a way to continue the existence of the Krogan peoples, as well as to investigate the flora and fauna of the planet."

"You are here to cure the genophage?" Orix asked calmly, not showing off ant anger or any emotion whatsoever. Whoever he was in person, he was skilled at controlling himself.

"To investigate it, and perhaps limit the effects, but not to outright cure it, no. Is that a problem?"

"No. Just be aware that those that try often disappear, or wind up dead from clan warfare. I will not stop you from landing on Tuchanaka as your ship registers no ship to ship weaponry, but be aware that we will not attempt to extract you once you are on the planet. Your life is your own, understood?"

"I understand. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

". . . To you as well, Alliance." Orix said before the communication ended.

"Well, that went surprisingly well." Bakara said after a couple seconds of silence.

"Thinly veiled threats aside, yes it did." Eirin said with a sigh as she looked to her pilot. "Bring us to the planet, nice and slow."

"Yes, Ma'am. To the set landing zone the Turian's just pinged us as safe, or another?"

Eirin glance to Bakara, who stepped up to a small terminal behind the pilot's seat that was showing a holographic image of the planet. She looked over it for a few seconds before marking a point on the map, in a valley that looked lush and easily defended from all sides as it backed onto a mountain. "This is where the female clan, my clan, resides. There is a sheared section out of the mountain at the back that your ship should be able to land on. We would only need to make a simple walkway up to it for continual passage to and from."

"A good location. Go there . . . . . You said the female clan? All of you keep away from the rest then?"

"Yes, that is something that will need to change, in time. For now though, it serves to keep us away from the other clan's squabbles."

"Do your people know you are returning?"

"No, I've had no means to contact them, they merely know that I will, because I gave my word." Bakara said as a strange hissing past over the ship as it moves into the planet's atmosphere.

"Ma'am, we're detecting the female village, or enclave, but we're also detecting a massive biological signature at the outskirts of it."

"Get us a visual." Eirin ordered as she tapped the holocomputer, bringing up an image of the terrain around them. After a few seconds the village in its entire sprawl was visible, as was the massive snakelike creature at its entrance, being pummeled by turreted and small arms fire.

"A Thresher maw, and a large one at that." Bakara said, sounding worried. "It has broken many of our defensive emplacements from the looks of it. If it not killed or driven back, it may enter the village. There are too many young there, it would be a slaughter."

Eirin looked at the map for a moment and nodded. "Land us where Bakara mentioned, I will be the first to disembark!" She stated as she left the bridge, Bakara following out of both curiosity and worry.

"What are you planning on doing?" Bakara asked as they felt the ship shudder slightly as it slowed down, likely hovering over the landing zone.

Walking into the decontamination chamber Eirin took out a strange looking baton, surprising Bakara when it turned into a six foot long bow made of steel with sections that seemed to glow and pulse with power. "I will kill it." Eirin stated simply as the decontamination finished and the external doors opened up along with a ramp, letting Tuchanka's scorching sun bear down on the two as they left the ship and walked to the edge of the cliff.

Below them was the village, houses of stone, some as small as cottages, and others the sizes of entire city blocks, surrounded by roads of solid cut stone and massive tree analogues, many with draping vines. At the villages entrance, crawling over the wreckage of a gun toward a line of hardened Krogan women, all wielding many kinds of guns, was the Thresher maw.

Eirin had heard stories of the creatures when skimming over the Council database. It was apparently a beast that could survive nearly any climate, and who reproduced by jettisoning spores high into the atmosphere. Many of the spores would leave the atmosphere and drift through space as well, causing them to heat up when they landed on another planet, reawakening the dormant spawn. This meant that Thresher maws could be found on many planets, and were almost always a danger to those on the planets themselves.

Eirin however, was more interested in its biology than horror stories of ill equipped colonists. A creature able to survive as it did, and equipped with both massive claws, and spit that could melt most metals was a fascinating subject, and the fact that one was in front of her was too good to pass up. It was time to test the supposed strength of its scales and hide.

"Can you kill it?" Bakara asked anxiously eyeing Eirin's stringless bow.

Eirin nodded, mentally noting that Bakara did not say it was impossible, only if she could kill it. That meant there had been many killed in the past. Holding her bow up Eirin grasped at the non-existent string, forming both the string, and an arrow of energy into existence as she pulled both back. For a moment she simply watched with the string pulled back as the thresher maw lobbed spit at the Krogan narrowly missing as the all dodged as if it was a common occurrence. Then, as it pulled itself more out of the ground to rise higher up, she let go of the arrow as she spoke words that made Bakara shiver uncontrollably for a second. "Curse of the heavens: Apollo Thirteen."

Bakara had expected the arrow to simply fly out from the bow when Eirin let go. But at the moment of her words, the arrow exploded out as dozens upon dozens of arrows in every direction. Then each arrow, now looking like nothing more than a glowing sphere, gathered at the front of the bow into one bright light, and shot out at the thresher maw faster than she could track. A second later an explosion echoed out from the Thresher maws side directly above its right limb, and bott the limb, and half of its head exploded and blew backwards across the landscape, covering it in gore. Its body then fell to the ground lifeless, some of it sliding back into the ground harmlessly as its blood flowed out like a river for a time.

Eirin nodded to herself as she stowed her bow, noting how there was a slight pause before her Spellcard had taken full effect on the creature. It could have been from the distance, but if it was from the maw resisting her strike, even for a second, there was a great deal of research to be done.

"Shall we go and survey the damage?" Eirin asked as she looked back to a rather surprised Bakara.

"Hmm, yes. That would be good. I just hope no one was badly hurt." Bakara replied quickly as she walked up beside Eirin and looked down. "There, we can use those ledges to get down."

"I will meet you at the village entrance then." Eirin said as she suddenly walked off the cliff and flew off down toward the Thresher maws corpse, as if she had wings or a jetpack.

Bakara looked and smiled as she began jumping down from ledge to ledge. Knowing that she had made the right decision going to the Alliance and requesting to speak to one of their leaders directly. Her people would have a chance now. She could feel it!"

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Matriarch Escelva sat in her office glaring at all the reports strewn across it. Everything they could get on the Alliances 'magic' had been gotten, but it had gotten her no closer to what she wanted, no closer to the truth.

The Alliance thought they could hide things, thought they could manipulate and keep themselves comparatively hidden away, with their secrets guarded. It was only a matter of time though, after all, the Asari were the controllers of the Galaxy. They eventually would take everything a species had and would make it their own, giving that race no choice but to fall in line as they willed it. All she needed was a single in to the Alliance's magic, and while it would take time, she knew exactly how to get it!

Tapping a key on her computer she smiled as she spoke. "Get me a direct line to the Batarian Hegemony!"


	19. CH19 - Changing times - pt 2

**Authors note: alright and the next chapter, sorry for the wait, but now we'll be getting into the REALLY FUN STUFF!**

 **Also, thanks to everyone who is reading, reviewing and simply enjoying the story XD**

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 **Widow System, Citadel. August 3** **rd** **2139**

In the year since Reitaisai, Alliance citizens on the Citadel had become, not common, but not unheard of either. No Alliance citizen had applied for citizenship, or for living space on the Citadel. And while many traders now frequented the Citadel, none of them stayed for longer than a week before leaving. It was something that irked the council severely, but no matter how much they brought it up to the ambassador, Flandre response was always the same.

"It's their choice if they stay or not. Who am I to force it one way or another?"

Councillor Tevos sighed. "Ambassador Flandre, while I agree with that sentiment, the fact remains that no Alliance citizens have taken to staying on the Citadel, yet a small handful of council citizens vocally keep bringing up being allowed to try for Alliance citizenship. The situation is one sided."

"And again, that is hardly our fault, or our intention." Flandre argued. "The Alliance has come to a decision about citizenship though."

"And that decision is?' Tevos asked carefully.

"The Alliance shall allow citizenship to be granted to those that seek it if they can pass a number of simple oral and written exams, and properly fill out the needed forms." Flandre said as she held up a thick stack of paper in her hand. "This many forms."

"That is quite a number." Tevos commented calmly.

"Most of it is just disclaimers, waivers, and the like. "Flandre admitted as she dropped them to the side and glanced at Tevos's Hologram. "Oh yes, that reminds me, today is the day that those who completed the basic magic course return, is it not?"

"Yes. We are hopeful as to the results. According to our spectre that was part of the program; it went well, for a small handful, while most did not . . . pass."

"Kicked out, killed when they secretly tried to kill a teacher, and voluntarily gave up." Flandre explained with a grin.

Tevos tensed slightly, never liking when she had to deal with Flandre for long periods of time. "Yes, well. We'll have to see, and I must prepare to meet our spectre. Is there anything else you need?"

"There is one thing, yes." Flandre said with a sigh, her wings visible drooping. "We've had a number of attempted attacks by the Hegemony again.

"The Hegemony or pirates?"

"Pirate technically, but all their crews were Batarians."

Tevos sighed. "I have told you and the Alliance before, pirates are not the Hegemony, and even if they are paid off by them, the Hegemony will deny any relationship with them. Without solid proof, there is nothing to be talked about."

Flandre nodded. "Very well. Just remember, as I've said before. If the Alliance is attacked in force by any group from the terminus, we will strike back, and if we find the Hegemony responsible for any of it, they will suffer for it."

Tevos sighed, having heard the same proclamation once already. It was a dangerous attitude, but not even the terminus warlord or the Hegemony would risk all-out war, so it would just sit as a proclamation, and nothing more. "Very well. Have a good day, Ambassador.'

Flandre waited until the connection was closed by Tevos and smiled. "Something tells me it will be a good day!"

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Desolas stepped off the cruiser and onto the docks of the Citadel, taking in a deep breath of the air. He expected it to be refreshing, but instead he found himself feeling like gagging, and did.

"I told you not to do that." Adaaya said as she walked up beside him and grabbed his arm, activating the bracelet on his wrist. "I also told you to turn that on, before you left the ship!"

"Yeah, I forgot." Desolas said with a cough as he looked at the bracelet. He and only four others had managed to complete the Alliances basic magic course. He now could use basic magic and even fly without any gear, though it still took some concentration. The price of course, was that his body now contained magic, and therefore would not react well to element zero or mass effect fields. A small price to pay for the ability to fire lightning from his fingertips.

"Well, don't forget in the future, or it'll be bad for you." Adaaya said as she took a couple steps forward and glanced around. "So this is the Citadel huh. Not bad I guess. You're heading back to your job then?"

Desolas nodded." Yes. Pallin gave me leave for this course, and that was it. And I think I need to get back to work."

"The academy ships are resuming their regular advanced courses. Patchouli did say there was room if you wanted in too."

"No, I need to get back to work," Desolas said, feeling an internal twinge of doubt. While taking the magic course he had done well in it, even more, he felt calm the entire time. Hell, he had gotten the best sleep in years while on that ship.

"Alright, that's fine." Adaaya said with a grin as she took a few steps forward and turned around to Desolas. "Me and a few of the assistants all figured we'd use this chance to take a look around the Citadel and are hitting a bar. The ship leaves in ten hours if you change your mind." and with that Adaaya rushed off, leaping into the skies of the Citadel, using her wings to propel her out of sight.

" . . . I hope she doesn't get hit by an aircar." Desolas said as he shook his head and walked out of the docks area, heading for C-Sec to check in with Executor Pallin.

Walking through the roads and areas of the Citadel felt good. Seeing the city in its entire shining glory made Desolas feel a bit calm, though with the magic he now also felt slightly uncomfortable as well. It was a mixed feeling, but a good one regardless.

The Citadel was abuzz with activity as it always was. Merchants sold wares, people went on with their business, and all in all nothing seemed to have changed much, including the lack of Alliance personnel. Sure he saw one or two walking around and had seen one Alliance merchant selling curios, but that was it. Considering the diversity of magic in the Alliance it made sense though, no one wanted to spend time in a place that made them consistently uncomfortable.

Just like the occasional glares Desolas could feel on his back.

Perhaps one of the most important things that Patchouli and the other teachers taught in the course was that magic could amplify ones senses passively if they knew what they were doing. It was essential to keep a magician safe from other who would do them harm, especially since many more difficult forms of magic could not be instantly cast without spell cards. Desolas had caught on relatively quickly and taken to that lesson extremely well, and now it was paying off.

There was a pair of people, though he was not sure who or what races they were, who were clearly following him at a distance.

Desolas scowled at this. The information of who had taken the course was supposed to not be public, so either it was just a random targeting or they were following him for a specific reason. Neither option was good. One meant they were pickpockets, and the other, something more dangerous. And until he checked in with Executor Pallin he couldn't very well start arresting people.

So instead of taking a normal route, Desolas ducked into a side road, hoping to see if the ones following him would continue to do so.

They did, and as they did, Desolas kept his pace constant, leading them on a merry chase, through places he knew that C-Sec had constant supervision over. He had hoped it would dissuade them, or at least make someone in C-Sec aware of it. But by the time Desolas had made it to C-Sec headquarters, the two tailing him hadn't disappeared, though their sight over him disappeared completely when he entered the buildings. Hopefully they ran off and would not wait around for him to come out again.

"Arterius?"

Desolas looked up to see Seargent Haron looking at him where he stood, just to the side of C-Sec's front desk. He had a worried look on his face, and also looked like he had seen a spirit. "Haron? What's wrong?"

"Y-You, why are you here? You need to get off the Citadel!" Haron said with a hiss as he walked over to Desolas, making him notice that some other officers were glancing over with equally worried gaze's.

"What? why?" Desolas asked, becoming more confused with each gaze he noticed.

"Because-," Haron started until Executor Pallin stepped up beside him and shook his head.

"Artrius, my office. Quickly." Pallin said as he waved for Desolas to follow, just before he quickly walked off.

Desolas followed, noticing that a lot of officers had mournful expressions on their faces. What was going on?

"I take it you don't know what is going on?" Pallin asked as soon as he walked into his office, the door behind Desolas sliding closed.

"No." Desolas replied simply, knowing that Pallin would explain the situation.

Pallin let out an exhausted sigh. "The situation is this. Twenty seven hours ago, information was leaked onto the extranet in multiple places. Explicitly stating your name as the one responsible for the Hierarchy's surrenders to the Alliance on Shanxi."

"That information was supposed to be confidential. A lot of officers knew, but the public wasn't supposed to." Desolas said as he began getting worried. Was that why he had been getting tailed?

"I know. We're looking into it, but coming up with nothing as to who leaked this information. The problem however, is that there are many people that have been crying for you to be found. Some for simple words, others for a lot more." Pallin said grimly as he paused for a second. "Officers have already caught a dozen people with arms talking about attacking you, and one person that was trying to break into your apartment."

"Please tell me this is some sort of bad joke?" Desolas asked with a sigh, having difficulty believing what he was hearing.

"I wish I was. We caught a Turian trying to break into your apartment, and he had a remote detonating explosive device on his person. Deactivated, but that should sum up the situation."

"So because I had a minor hand in ending it before it got worse, I'm suddenly a wanted target now? I did it to save lives!"

"You know that, I know that, the councillors knows that! But whoever has released that information doesn't, or simply doesn't care!" Pallin exclaimed in anger, causing the glass walls of his office to actually shake for a second as he slammed his hand against his desk. "The problem is that with the situation as it is, I cannot safety put you back on duty, in fact it may be safest for you to leave the Citadel and hide out somewhere. You have family?"

"My mother and father live on Palaven sir, and my brother is training to enter the Spectres." Desolas replied calmly, before he finally sneered. "You want me to run and hide?"

"No, I want you to leave so we can solve this and calm things down without your presence complicating things." Pallin admitted as he tapped his Omni tool while speaking. "Look, I know this isn't exactly the welcome back you were expecting, but your presence will make things difficult with how things are."

Desolas let out a long annoyed groan. It made sense. If people were angry at him, his presence would just cause problems. It just was infuriating that as soon as he got back he was being told to run and hide! "Where do you suggest I go? Palaven will be in just as much of a state of chaos off this I would think, especially if I go there."

"I know. Illium could be an option perhaps. But I'd first head to the docks. I've already ordered officers to setup and watch the routes there so you can travel safety.

"Fine, I'll get out of your fringe." Desolas said in annoyance as he turned to leave.

"Wait, do you need a gun, in case the worst happens?" Pallin asked as he pulled out a simple handgun and placed it on the desk.

Desolas looked at it and shook his head. "No, I won't need it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Desolas said as he half turn to Pallin and opened his hand, arcs of electricity jumping from one claw to another. "I did finish that basic magic course, so at the very least I have moderate ability with it now."

"I was wondering about that." Pallin said as he put the pistol away. "Haron will go with you to the docks."

Desolas nodded in understanding and left Pallin's office, finding Haron standing outside waiting for him, a sorry look on his face.

"It's not your fault." Desolas said as the two of them walked out of C-Sec headquarters and began heading for the docks. "I didn't have my Omni tool on me, or more accurately I can't anymore. You had no way to contact me."

"That doesn't change the fact that one of our own is in danger because of an information leak."Haron said seriously as he checked his waist, making sure his pistol was in easy reach if he needed it. "We're being followed."

Desolas nodded. "Probably the same two that followed me from the docks."

"You know there's two of them?" Haron asked quietly, not making the mistake of looking around nervously.

"Yeah, you know what I was gone for, right?" Desolas asked calmly, not showing his annoyance at the situation.

Haron nodded. "Executor Pallin explained it as you were taking external courses. He also explained it was the Alliances basic magic course, and that he was looking forward to seeing how it could help shape C-Sec. Many of us were."

"Why?"

"The idea of being armed without any visible weapons, and of being able to fly like the Alliance people have shown their ability to mainly." Haron admitted. "A lot of people are curious about it, and stories of those who failed the course have been circulating, albeit quietly. No one wants to admit they failed something after all. But you didn't, did you?"

"No. The Drell spectre, a Quarian, another Turian and I were the only Council citizens that passed the course. The spectre is probably talking with the council about it as we speak.

"Probably . . . . . we've got a couple more stalkers. These ones are not nearly as sneaky though."

"Agreed. A Turian and Asari, it seems. The other two are sneaky enough I cannot tell what races they are."

"Well, unless either group become violent, there's no need for us to do anything."

"I know." Desolas said with a sigh as the two of them turned around a corner, only to find a Turian in black armour standing in front of them. For a moment no one said anything, until Desolas smiled as he recognized who it was. "Saren! How have you been? I haven't heard from you!"

Saren however, did not smile, but instead glared at Desolas. "I am fine, but you are not, traitor!"

Desolas was stunned for a moment before he scowled. "Please tell me you're not joining in on this madness, brother?"

"I am not joining anything!" Saren said with a sneer. "I completed my training and am now a Spectre, and with that, I gained access to the Spectres information banks. I could not believe what I found though, that my own brother would betray his own people for those Alliance monsters!"

Desolas felt anger fill him, but kept control, knowing how badly it could now affect him after the magic training. And then began worrying about that as well. "Saren, it was that, or let our people die, and drop the entirety of council space into war! Is that what you want?"

"Of course not, but it would not be war, but a glorious victory for the Turian peoples! And instead of allowing that to happen, you betray your entire race!" Saren declared, his tone full of malice. "Our family has already been informed of your actions, and through unanimous agreement, you have been disowned from the family! We will not see each other again!"

"Saren wait!" Desolas called as his brother turned around and began walking away.

Saren stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I made sure no one would attack you until we spoke. Die in a gutter where you belong, traitor!"

"Saren, I said wait!" Desolas said as he tried to follow Saren, only for a small explosive on the ground to detonate, harmlessly kicking up dust and forcing Saren to stop and block his face. By the time the smoke cleared, Saren was gone. "Dammit!"

"Look Desolas, I know that must be painful, but we need to move, now!" Haron said in a worried tone as he pulled his handgun out, the sounds of hardsuits and peoples voices coming from behind them.

"Dammit!" Desolas cursed as he heard the voices coming closer, their intent clear as he and Haron dashed down the road. "Just, dammit!"

"Swear later, move now!" Haron yelled as they turned onto another street, only for a gunshot to ring out, flying over their heads from behind.

"There he is, get him!" came an Asari's voice as a couple more shots rang out, missing both Desolas and Haron by only a couple centimeters.

"Ugh, just telling them to stop isn't going to work!" Haron muttered as they ran, dashing onto a side street to try to lose their pursuers.

"No, it isn't." Desoals said as he thought over what had just happened. His brother was the one who leaked that secret information. He had become a spectre, and immediate used his station for personal gain, for revenge over a simple concept!

The idea pissed him off, but what truly worried Desolas was not his brother, but his parents, their sister, his family. His family was relatively old among Turian families, and their ideals were the same. Serve the Hierarchy; that was what his father had always said. Being kicked from the Hierarchy's military was bad enough to made Desolas decide to hold off on contacting his family for over a year and counting, but the information that he helped the war end, his father would not like that in the least. His brothers words about him telling them, and being disowned by their family. . . . . it was likely true.

Disowned, Treated as a traitor to his people, when he had acted to save lives. It made him sad, but mostly in angered him greatly. If he hadn't, how many people would be dead? How much of council space would have felt the power of the Alliances weapons, how many people, ships and worlds on both side would be burning?!

"We're almost at the docks!" Haron said suddenly, pulling Desolas out of his worries, now feeling sure of what he would do.

If the whole of the Hierarchy and council space was going to consider him a traitor, then they would not care if he never returned!

"Haron, once we get to the docks, I'll head for the Alliance cruiser that is docked." Desolas said carefully. "I have a friend there and can get out of council space that way."

"Alright, we'll calm things down so you can return and-.."

"I don't, think I'll be coming back." Desolas interrupted, making Haron's mandibles spread in surprise.

"What?!"

"I'm no longer part of the Hierarchy's forces, and can never hold station. From the sound of it, my family has disowned me, and if this is anything to go by, more than just some Turians consider me a traitor. . . . . . . there's nothing really for me here, not now, not anymore."

Haron looked as Desolas for a second, his face saying he wanted to argue, though he said nothing until they came to the docks themselves and entered through one of C-Sec's special checkpoint doors. "Spirits I can't believe this. Look after yourself, okay? You're a good guy, and all of us will-.."

"Die traitor!" A Turian yelled as he leapt through the window behind them, causing a chain of alarms to go off. Before Haron could act, the assailant raised at handgun at Desolas.

But Desolas was faster, and thrust out his open palm at the other Turian, "Strike!" he cried, as a short bolt of electricity arced out from his palm right into the other Turians chest, sending him flying backwards onto the ground. His body twitched a bit, but he still was breathing, not dead, but completely unconscious.

Haron looked at Desolas wide eyed. "Was that, magic?"

"Yes, it was. You should get going and help with the cleanup for this. I'll continue to the dock. Good luck to you."

Haron smiled as he walked through the broken window. "That's my line. Take care of yourself, Desolas."

"You, as well." Desolas replied as he went through the rest of the building and into the docks main hangers. There was only three ships in the particular docks he entered, the Alliance cruiser, a Volus merchant vessel, and a Batarian merchant vessel. The docks themselves, as primarily commercial docks, were not very full of people. Tons of dockworkers and merchants moved about organizing goods, but the actual number of people was lower than other docks would be. And that was just fine.

Walking down into the docks, Desolas could not feel any particularly vindictive gazes upon him at all and he relaxed a bit, but the closer he got to the Alliance cruiser, the more tense he felt as stares began directing to him. Then it happened.

"Don't move!" A Turian said as he came out from around a storage container, holding a rifle in his hands and aiming it at Desolas. In seconds almost a dozen people came out from behind containers or cloaks, surrounding Desolas completely.

Turians and Slarians primarily, Desolas noted to himself, then also noticing that all of them had rifles and stood at the ready, clearly at least trained with their weapons.

"So, you're the wanted traitor to the Hierarchy!" The one Turian said as he took a couple steps forward and smiled. "You don't look like much, but I'm sure someone will pay a nice amount of credits for the privilege of killing you themselves!"

"You're going to kidnap me, in broad daylight, in the middle of the Citadel docks?" Desolas asked in surprise, unable to believe someone was so stupid.

"So? No one's going to come to a traitors rescue, and I doubt anyone would even report it! Not when the rest of C-sec is running around trying to stop the amateurs outside!"

Desolas looked at the Turian before him and began laughing at the hilarity of the situation.

"What is so funny!?"

"You are," Desolas said when he finally stopped laughing. I've been kicked out of the Hierarchy, disowned, chased around the Presidium, and now a bunch of mercenary rejects are saying they're going to kidnap and sell me to the highest bidder like some sort of Batarian slave lord! This day has been so ridiculous it's nearly comical!"

Many of those surrounding him shifted uncomfortably, some even stepping backwards, unsure of how to react to how Desolas was acting.

The boss however, was not amused. "I don't care you what you think because you're not armed, so give up and come quietly or we'll have to bust up your legs at the very least."

Desolas smiled, knowing that the docks were monitored, and that this was going to become quitet the topic of conversation among C-Sec for a long time to come. "Oh, I'm not armed, at least, not with a gun. Tempest: overloading Flash!" Desolas yelled a he dropped down to a knee and slammed a fist into the deck. As soon as his fist touched the steel flooring of the docks, and before any of those around him could react, a wave of electricity surged out from him in a sphere, striking every person around him. The electricity was not intended to incapacitate or injure however, but instead to overload every circuit in any gun around him. And in seconds every person had dropped their guns, either from them overheating and burning them, or from them simply sparking and smoking as internal workings overheated and broke. "Now then, I believe I'll be going past."

"N-no, you won't!" The leader said as he chased after Desolas, having been so stunned he hadn't immediately realized Desolas had walked past him. Drawing a knife he moved to attack Desolas from behind, until a gust of wind stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey Desolas, didn't expect to see you again so quickly!" Adaaya called s she dropped from the air and landed on the docks ahead of Desolas.

"Yeah, I didn't expect it either, but a couple of things have happened, including being disowned, yelled at by my brother and threatened by idiots with more arrogance than common sense." Desolas explained as he pointed behind him.

"Oh, and here I thought they were your fans!" Adaaya joked as her wings spread out full and beat forward, sending a gust of wind past Desolas that toppled all of them over, sending some skidding across the docks. "So did you come back for the advanced course then?"

"Yes, I suppose I did. There's . . . . nothing left for me here, not anymore."

"And you have your brother to thank for that?" Adaaya guessed, making Desolas look at her in surprise. "We heard a rumor in the bar, and I finished first so I volunteered to come back here, just in case you came back."

"I see. . . . . . Yes, that is, accurate I suppose." Desolas admitted as the one gang leader behind him got up, gripping his knife angrily.

"Then I'll text Patchouli saying such if that's alright. I'm sure she'll be fine with it, as she had invited you to continue anyway. . . . You want to deal with him or shall I?

Desolas turned around to see the gang leader charge him, and growled as he held his hand out toward the other Turian. "Bolt: Strike!"

The blast of electricity struck him dead on, sending him backwards into a Salarian that was getting up.

Desolas let out a sigh and turned to the cruiser. "Can I go aboard? I . . . really need to get out of here, even if it's just in a ship away from other Turians."

"Yeah it's fine, I'll call the others back and explain the situation. Let's get out of here."

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 **Attican Beta system, August 27** **th** **2139**

Holith Nar'Neema stared through the glass pane at the front of the shuttle he had bought, excitedly looking forward to returning to the migrant fleet. Three years he had been gone, and now he would return, bearing possibly the greatest gift he could bring to his people, something that was both information, and weapon all in one.

"Unknown shuttle, you are approaching the migrant fleet, please state your business." came a voice over the intership comms, making Holith's pulse rise with excitement.

"This is Holith Nar'neema, returning from pilgrimage and requesting permission to dock with the Neema."

"Very well, and?"

"Through shades of green and blue, I pass through the clouds of space, looking for the land the fleet commands."

" . . . . Acknowledge, you have permission to dock with the Neema. Would you like your kin notified?"

"Please."

"It shall be done. Welcome home."

"Glad to be home." Holith said before closing the communication and piloting the small shuttle toward the Neema.

The small council shuttle docked into the Neema and began its atmospheric scrubbing. The only problem with getting a ship and bringing it to the fleet was that they were never clean.

EVER!

As soon as the ship system had scrubbed themselves for the third time Holith felt it was as good as it was going to be and left the ship, coming into the closed docking bay. And right ahead of him was his mother and father, gleaming from behind their helmets.

"Son!" His father said happily as he came over and hugged Holith.

"Hey,Dad. You're not going to believe what I've brought back to the fleet!"

"Is it inside that shuttle there?" His mother asked curiously. "Because if that shuttle is all you've brought back . . . "

"No, it's not on the ship." Holith said he glanced around until he saw a small section of broken railing without wiring or piping connected to it, and raised his hand to it. "Metal symbol, molten growth." At his words the broken pieces of metal suddenly began glowing red hot, lifted up and stretched to each other before fusing together and cooling as quickly as they had heated. It all took only a handful of seconds, and when it was done the railing was whole, though the one section was slightly thinner than the rest of the railing.

"What, what was that? Some sort of omnitool app?" "His mother asked, clearly confused.

"Magic." Holith said, and then upon seeing his parent's reactions continued. "No I'm serious, it's magic. The fleet's heard about that incident with the Hierarchy and the Alliance right?"

"We've heard bits and piece, but not the whole story. It's a new race, three of them with odd technology right?"

"Yes, but they also have magic. It's not technology, real magic! I took part in a free learning course they offered to see if Council races could learn their magic, and while a lot of them failed, mostly because they were not trying or refused to believe it, a few of us passed it. I was one of them, I can use magic!"

Both of his parents looked at him, their expression a mix of curiosity and concern. "Holith," his father began. "Are you sure you don't have a suit puncture and were tricked into buying odd Omni tool apps?"

"Dad, I can't even use an Omni tool now, at least ones with Eezo in them. Scan me, you'll find no Omni tool, and no alterations or breaches to my suit."

His father pulled out his omnitool and began scanning and for many moments it was complete silence between the three of them. When he was done he let out a sigh. "I'm not finding anything like you said, but then how did you do that?"

"Magic!" Holith exclaimed as he held out his hand. "Look. Fire sigh, Firebolt." In response a small ball of fire appeared above his hand and with a twitch of a finger it flew out and crashed into the side of the shuttle, making a neat scorch mark on its hull.

"So, you learned magic?" His mother asked uncertainly.

"Yes, I also have all the up to date information on the Alliance, from the Alliance. Mum, they are masters at medical science. I talked with one of the instructors, and they said it was completely possible that they could free our people from our suits, rebuild our natural immune systems in a matter of years, for our entire species!"

"Look, Holith, I know you're thinking about everyone but, doesn't that seem a bit unlikely? " His father asked calmly.

"No, it isn't. You haven't seen them! The Alliance, they are completely different than the Council! Look, I have all this data on them. Look it over, and show it to the admiralty board! I'll even give a demonstration. Just give this information a chance and it can help our people more than you can even imagine!"

Both his parents looked at each other for a couple seconds before his father looked at him. "Alright let's take a look at this data. If it's really that good, we'll pass it on to the admiralty."

"Don't worry its good!"

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 **Attican Beta system, Quarian Migrant fleet Flagship Rayya, October 12** **th** **2139.**

The Quarian Admiraly Board looked over the information laid out before them. It was expansive, and they all had looked over it at length on their own. They had also all seen the demonstration by Holith Vas Neema. They had looked at both and had already begun forming opinions on their own, but now together, they were about to find out just how seriously their opinions did, or did not, coincide.

"So, we have all looked over the information given to us to the best of our abilities?" Admiral Han'Garrel Vas Neema asked cautiously to his four other compatriots.

"As well as we can!" Exclaimed Admiral Daro'Zen Vas Morah, the youngest member of the Admiralty Board. "You do realize there is more information here than would be kept in an entire Salarian Science frigate? And all of it is simple text and picture data!"

"Yes, I notice that as well. What I was able to look through was . . . . . enlightening, however." Admiral Rael'Zora Vas Rayya said calmly.

"I think the question is not how much we have looked over, but what we think our course of action should be." Admiral Zaal'Koris Vas Qwib Qwib said, sounding uncertain as he spoke.

"I agree." Admiral Shala'Raan Vas Tonbay said quickly. "We know nothing about this Alliance other than what is written here, but depending on what we ask of them, if anything, may change how they react to us!"

For many moment no one said anything, but after a while the silence became too much, Admiral Rael'Zorah spoke up. "Considering the Alliances stance with the Council, and their technological levels, I honestly doubt there is much we can give them. That said, I believe we should still contact them, if nothing else so they can choose how they see us, without the Council's influence."

"An intelligent, if simple and boring proposal." Daro'zen said with a huff. "Their technology is leagues different than the Councils, but our knowhow, our star charts, our information on robotics, and the Geth, we should use these to impress them. We need their technology, with it we can change things, return the Geth to where they should be, underneath us!"

"Or we could simply find an agreeable way to get their assistance in retaking our home world from the Geth!" Han'Gerral stated, clearly enjoying the idea from how loud his voice was. "The Council has controlled our actions for to long, let us make an alliance and destroy the Geth once and for all with the Alliances help!"

"And who is to say anything we could offer would even interest them?" Shala'Raan countered. "Let us be honest here. We are drifters with few galactic credits to our names, flying century's old ships using scrap parts to keep them together. Only our intellect has kept us going thus far, and we have nothing to trade with a coalition of races so advanced they scoff at the idea of relay travel!"

"I, sadly, agree." Zaal'Koris said with a sigh. "As interesting and useful the Alliance technology could be, we have nothing they do not already have or could obtain on their own. Star charts can be acquired easily; their technology works completely differently than Council technology, and therefore our own. And their magic is clearly leagues above Biotics, if I am to believe it supposed capabilities."

"Are we to just give up then? Their magic alone could annihilate entire legions of Geth!" Han'Gerral exclaimed, sounding angry that the idea was being pushed aside so easily. "And they seem willing to teach people, so why not take advantage of that?"

"Because-."

"Because it is not so easy to take advantage of the Alliance!" All five admirals turned to the source of the new, sixth voice that had interrupted Rael. Standing a couple meters away from them, without any space gear, or a suit of any kind, was an Alliance woman. She wore a dark purple suit and had a similarly colored umbrella over one shoulder, while her long blonde hair fell neatly behind her. A faint sphere of golden energy could be barely seen shimmering around her, and she smiled gently, while her eyes held something predatory. She stepped forward and bowed slightly to the admiralty, then flipped her umbrella around and touched its tip to the floor with a smile as she spoke. "Greetings, Quarian Admiralty. I am Yukari Yakumo, the Youkai head of the Alliance. How do you do?"

All the admirals were shocked for a moment, but Shala was the first to act, noticing a danger to the entire migrant fleet. "Why are you not in a sealed suit? You risk endangering the entire migrant fleet! And how did you get here anyway?!"

"Relax Admiral. I do not endanger anyone as long as this barrier field surrounds me." Yukari said as she gestured to the shimmering sphere around her person. "You'll find that nothing enters or leaves it, and by that same reasoning my available time here is limited, though not short."

"Then, you have still not answered Shala'Raans question." Zaal'Koris said nervously, tapping on his omni tool to call for the marines.

"I simply walked here." Yukari answered as she tapped her umbrella against the floor, forming a Sukima behind her and another a couple meters to the side. She then poked her umbrella through it, giving a perfect example of their use as the umbrellas tip came out the second Sukima. "And as to the why I am here that you surely are thinking of asking next, I have come here to see just what the Quarians intent is, and to perhaps, give your people an offer!"

For many moments the hall was silent, until Han'Gerral sighed. "Alright. We have not yet decided upon a course of action as of yet, but may I ask what this, offer of yours is?"

Tuari smiled, and as she did the entire room suddenly felt cooler. "Your people, due to both your original biology and current lifestyle, have absolutely no element zero in their bodies, not even trace amounts. A test that your one civilian volunteered for while on the MAS Philosophe has provided us with information that leads us to believe you people could be natural magicians if the right environment was provided. Your people are also very rigid and very capable of surviving, despite the rest of the galaxies intentions otherwise. As such, the Alliance is considering the possibility of the Quarian peoples joining the Alliance!"

"And. . .What would this entail for both sides?" Shala'raan asked after a moment of complete, stupefied silence.

"Oh good, one of you is not completely frozen!" Yukari beamed. "Would you like to hear how it would affect the Alliance, or the Quarian peoples first?"

"Our people." Rael'Zorah said instantly, his tone solid.

Yukari looked at him and nodded. "Very well. The Quarian peoples would have a few things required of them. Obviously understanding Alliance rules and regulations, but aside from that, the most important thing would be that the Quarian peoples, through the use of Alliance medicine, would be required to slowly relinquish your suit as a permanent necessity. Additionally, your ships would be taken apart and converted to materials, all element zero based technology would also be no longer allowed." Yukari paused for effect, knowing they needed to hear the last part perfectly. "And the Quarian peoples would have to give up on reclaiming their home world!"

The outcry from the admirals was immediate and completely chaotic. Three of the admirals shouting outrage over the other, while two in particular, Shala'Raan, and Zaal'Koris, remained silent. After a couple more seconds of this Yukari tapped her umbrella down, creating an instant bang so loud it shocked the three arguing admirals into complete shocked silence, thinking an explosion or hull breach had suddenly happened.

"I understand what I am saying, but allow me to explain the Alliances reasoning. While it would be culturally significant for your people to reclaim their world, as you currently are, it would take generations for you to re-acclimate to it naturally, and then there is the problem of the Geth. The Alliance is currently in the process of terraforming three worlds in our own sphere of influence, and all three of these worlds would be open to Quarian use as a new home world for your peoples. Your people as Alliance citizens would be allowed travel to all Alliance worlds as well. Now I can see that each of you wishes to argue or say something, so let's do this civilly, one at a time, yes?"

All the admirals looked at each other and one after another nodded, allowing Rael to look to Yukari and meet her gaze first. "While the idea of joining your people is, interesting, the idea that our people would forsake our home world is absurd! The cultural significance is far too important, and it cannot be just left to the Geth!"

"I agree with Rael." Han said stoically. "Reclaiming our home world is the dream of all Quarians. The Geth drove us from it, it is only right we fight for our birthright!"

"Even if fighting for it would condemn your entire species?" Yukari asked with a sly tone, before looking to Daro. "And what do you have to say?"

"I care not about the cultural significance, but our home world is already perfect for our people, and our biology's would not adapt well to other planets." Daro'Zen explained.

"I did mention the Alliance would provide medical assistance to the Quarian people to acclimate them. Our biologists estimate that we could have every Quarian out of their suits and breathing unfiltered air in as little as seven years."

"Truly?"

"Yes."

Daro'Zen was silent for a moment before nodding to herself. "That, may change things for sure."

"What!? How can you even consider that, Zen?" Han'Gerral Exclaimed in shock.

"I can consider it, because the continuation of our people overrules both our anger at the Geth, and my own desires to experiment on them." She admitted, sounding upset at her own words.

"I agree." Kaal'Zoris spoke up. "The Geth are sentient, as much as some want to disagree. They have as much right to live as anyone else. If we can settle elsewhere, we should. At the very least it would give our people a new beginning, and some peace of mind not having to worry about our centuries old ships falling apart in transit!"

"How can you even suggest that-," Rael yelled out as another argument broke out, Shala'Raan the only one who was not joining in as she seemed to be deep in thought.

"What exactly does the alliance get from offering this to us?" Shala suddenly asked, the other four becoming silent upon hearing her question.

"The Alliance does not come out of this without gain." Yukari said with a smirk. "Your people are skilled technicians as a whole, as well as far more versatile than other races are willing to believe. A new peoples for the Alliance, a burst of population, as well as an in depth understanding of Council technology."

"Your people's technology is not usable alongside Council technology if I recall, no?" Daro'Zen asked curiously.

"That is correct, but that does not mean that having a better understanding of it would be bad. Additionally, your people's base technological and mechanical prowess would be useful, and I'm sure many would revel in the chance to use technology the Council likely will not be able to comprehend for decades, at the very least!"

"So your Alliance a more interested in growing your numbers, both of citizens and of skilled people then?" Shala'Raan asked carefully.

"Yes, there is always a need for skilled people, and besides, the Council races do not seem to give your people a chance at being more than what they think you are, vagabonds and thieves. Why not prove them wrong? Why not prove to them that your people can be just as successful, if not more successful, than they ever thought?"

"Your offer is extremely tempting," Shala'Raan said calmly. "But we cannot decide such a serious matter here and now without proper discussion and input from our people."

"Of course. I would expect no less." Yukari said as she created a new Sukima behind her. "The offer has been presented. Ah yes, and I almost forgot that if your people did join the Alliance your race would have a Head among us as well. I shall take my leave now. The offer shall continue to stand, if you wish to accept, merely travel to Shanxi and you shall be contacted." Yukari said as she backed halfway into the Sukima then stopped. "I shall leave you with a question though. Have your people survived this far, just to come this far?"

And then Yukari was gone, The Sukima closing and leaving the room exactly as it had been before she had arrived.

"I think, we have much to discuss now." Kaal'Zoris said with a tired sigh.

"Yes, it would seem so. We should also explain this to the fleet. All of it." Shala'Raan said with an equally tired sigh, feeling like just begin in Yukari's presence had drained her.

"You both cannot be serious!" Rael'Zorah exclaimed in surprise.

"We are!" Daro'Zen countered. "We all know you've sworn some ridiculousness about building a house on the home world, but as we are, that will never happen, and even if it did, we'd be in these suits for easily decades. This offer has to be at the very least considered. There is too much at stake not to!"

"And how exactly do you think our people will react when you tell them we're considering forsaking our home world?" Han'Gerral asked angrily.

"We tell them everything, exactly what the offer is, all it entails, and all it would give and take away." Shala'Raan said carefully. "We'll tell them everything, and let our people decide!"

Everyone began nodding carefully until only Rael'Zorah was left, letting out a sigh. "Very well, we'll see what comes of this."

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 **Aralakh System, Tuchanka. February 14, 2140.**

Eirin Yagokoro stood in the laboratory of her ship and held up the vial to the light, glancing through its contents, a thin nearly luminous orange liquid. It was an answer, one of many. Whether it would be used however was still up to debate.

Placing it in a case and locking it up tight Eirin stretched and left her laboratory, eventually making her way out of her ship, and onto the landing platform where her ship sat.

The Krogan female clan village had changed much. The stone cliff where her ship sat was now twice its size and mad of metal, large enough for easily two more ships. The village below was now more like a small city, with its buildings having increased in size, more defences guarding it, and what few Krogan children existed playing around the village. While the majority of the village was entirely females, Bakara had managed to convince a handful of clans to her plan, less than a tenth of all Krogan clans, but even just a few was still a start. Laws were followed, and their people seemed to be flourishing, even while other clans tried to undo what she had done. It was a slow process, but it was beginning to bear fruit. And it was beginning to look sweet.

"Ah, Lady Eirin."

Eirin turned to see Bakara coming over to her, smiling even from behind her veil. "Good morning, Bakara. I trust everything is well?"

"It is, yes. And it's the afternoon, actually." Bakara said with a chuckle, having quickly learned how easily Eirin could lose track of time inside her laboratory.

"That is good. Your plan appears to be going well, I was about to take a walk through the village."

"Excellent, I was coming to get you actually. There is a pair that are interested in meeting you." Bakara said as the two of them began walking down the stairs away from the pads, and towards the city below.

"I see. Friends of yours?" Eirin asked, knowing that friends within Krogan clans were a rarity due to their naturally solitary natures though this was more for the men than women.

"Something like that. They both are from Clan Nakmor, and one of them is one of our oldest people. He was alive during the Krogan rebellions, and has seen firsthand how our people have fallen." Bakara said as they both came down to street level and began going down it. Every woman they past greeted them with a smile, children would run by unawares, and even the few men that were out and about gave them both nods. Considering how antisocial Krogan appeared to have been in the past, this was a major improvement, and Eirin was glad to see that Bakara's plan was slowly working. With her people's attitudes, slow was the only way it could.

"I understand. . . . Has Clan Urdnot come around? If I recall, you were hoping they would."

Bakara shook her head. "No, Wreave is not listening to my missives. Keeps saying this is doomed to fail, and that we should go back to what we were. If his brother was ruling the clan I'm sure he would come around, but he's somewhere in Council space working as a mercenary."

"I could make some calls if you'd like, see if he could be found." Eirin offered warmly. "It would take time, but I'm sure something would be found."

"No, that is alright. If I'm worrying about when he'll be found I won't be able to focus on matters here. Besides, I'm sure he'll hear about our movement sooner or later. Thank you for offering, though."

"It's no problem. Your success helps me as well. I haven't had so many samples to work with in a long time." Eirin admitted. "Ah yes, and I've completed the third part."

Bakara simply nodded as they walked. She knew what Eirin was referencing, but it was so important she didn't dare let information on it slip to the wrong people.

After a couple more minutes of walking they came to what was quickly becoming a sort of city square. In the centre of the square by an old, run down monument that had yet to lose any of its awe, was an old, wearing looking Krogan, and beside him a Krogan female who looked less than a quarter of his age, if not less.

"Bakara, it's been a while." The old Krogan said as Bakara and Eirin approached them.

"Yes, it has." Bakara said warmly. "Eirin, this is Nakmore Drak, and his daughter, Kesh. Kesh, Drak, this is Eirin Yagokoro, A Lunarian of the Alliance, and both a powerful warrior and scientist.

"I see. Bakara mentioned an Alliance scientist was overseeing her work," Drack said coolly. "She also explained what the deal was itself. You don't look like much of a warrior though."

"Looks can be deceiving." Eirin said with a smile.

"Ignore my father. You are a scientist, yes?" Kesh asked as she took a step forward. She was clearly fully grown, but when compared to her father, she looked like a newborn, and she sounded young as well.

"I am."

"My father says you are here, but are not curing the Genophage because of some cultural reason, is that right?"

"Yes, that is right, to an extent. " Eirin said with a smirk, just as she felt a twinge." You are both armed I take it?"

"Of course." Drack said grimly understanding the intent behind Eirin's question.

"Good. Get Bakara to safety." Eirin said quietly, just as the sound of three shots echoed in the square, and Eirin moved in front of Bakara. She expected mass accelerator rounds to tear into her flesh, but instead felt three squishy balls press against and stick to her body, one on her shoulder, another on her leg, and the final one on her stomach.

A second later they all exploded, blowing Eirins' body apart and showering the monument with gore.

"Scorpion, get to cover!" Drack roared as he pulled out a Graal spike launcher and began firing at an overhang of a building were he saw a flash, pushing Kesh and Bakara over to a nearby building even as he was fired back on by small arms fire, most of which simply bounced off his armour.

"She's gone just like that?!" Kesh exclaimed as the three of them leapt though a long window and hunkered down behind it, Kesh slowly pulling out a small pistol that she kept on her.

"You said it was a scorpion, right?" Bakara asked, getting a nod from Drack as an explosion reverberated against the wall. "That means STG. What are they doing here?"

"Trying to kill you from the looks of it. Seems like your cultural revolution got their attention." Drack said as he popped out from cover and fired off a shot from his Graal, narrowly missing a Salarians head, but taking one of his horns off with it instead before he popped down. A second later a mass accelerator round pinged off his headpiece. "You seem oddly calm about this considering your Alliance lapdog just died."

"Something similar to this happened a couple of weeks ago with some clanless thugs. She'll be fine."

"I don't think so. Not even I'd be fine if I was reduced to that." Drack said grimly as a round chipped the stone around him, and another almost hit Kesh's headpiece.

Bakara chuckled. "I beg to differ. Look."

Drack looked at Bakara before he realize what she meant, and against his better judgment took a look back in to the courtyard.

He instantly though he had drank too much Ryncol that morning.

The gore and pieces of Eirins body were slipping across the ground and gathering together, her body seemingly stitching itself together. In a matter of seconds her body was whole, even down to her clothing, and it looked like she had never been shot or killed. No blood was on the monument anymore, and when Eirin opened her eye Drack shivered. And that was something that hadn't happened in a long time.

Raising a hand up to the sky, a bow of metal appeared in Eirins hand. She gripped a non-existent string, forming both it and an arrow of light, and pulled back. The arrow flew into the sky, exploded into a shower of light, and then every single light formed together into a ball of energy that dropped down on the top of the building the STG was on.

The blast echoed like a thresher maw's death wail and knocked all three STG agents off of the roof with cries of shock and surprise. One agent landed on the monument, his back breaking instantly before he limply slid off onto the ground. Another agent fell down onto the metal pole that held up a sun cover, his body impaling itself on it gruesomely. The last agents simply fell to the ground with a heavy crack, one arm and both his legs twisted in ways no limbs should be.

"That is all of them, you can come out now." Eririn called as her bow disappeared, her call effecting more than just Bakara, Kesh and Drack. As they walked out Eirin walked over to the one Salarian, still alive and groaning in pain, and kicking him in the side so hard he flipped over onto his back, gasping. "Your orders, what were they?"

"You, will not-," The Salarian gasped out, having difficulty talking.

Eirin scowled and noted his omnitool flickering on and off on his broken arm, then planted her foot on that arm, making him cry out in pain. "Does someone have an axe?" Eirin asked calmly, the Salarians eyes going wide in horror.

In response Drack walked over and pulled out a modified hammer, and dropped it on the arm just below the omnitool, pulping it completely. "There."

"Thank you." Eirin said as she picked up the pulped limb and held it aloft, grimacing. "Bakara, is there someone among your people who could perhaps break this thing apart without compromising the data inside? The Eezo makes it, uncomfortable to be near."

"I can!" Kesh suddenly exclaimed as she ran over.

Eirin looked at Drack, who simply nodded. "She's good with machines. And I really want to know how you pulled that off!"

"I'm immortal, you can kill me over and over, and I still won't die." Eirin said as she pulled the omnitool off the limb and grimaced before tossing it to Kesh. I need that data to find out who ordered them here, and what their mission was, alright?"

"Right, I'll make sure the data is safe."

"Good." Eirin said with a smile as she began walking away from the Salarian.

"W-wait, you can't!" The Salarian gurgled in pain, trying to move with his one good arm.

"What do we do with him?" Bakara asked calmly, not looking effected at all by Eirin's little show.

"Kill them, strip them of their equipment. I'll hold the bodies for, clinical studies." Eirin said with a grin. "After all, if they're STG, then they're not even here, right?"

Drack smiled as he hefted his hammer over the wide eyed Salarian. "You're absolutely right!"

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 **Widow System, Citadel. June 17** **th** **2141.**

Flandre Scarlet, the Alliance ambassador to the Citadel Council liked her job, she really did!

Sure it was not as glamorous as being a head of the Alliance, or as violent as an operative out in the field, but she didn't need those. She helped protect the Alliance interest, got to experience a different world and culture, and still got to have some violent fun when muggers or people with stupidity to grind came at her. Hell, she had eaten absurdly well in the last couple years, being able to partake in almost every races blood except for Asari's. No way was she risking that!

Of course, for all the good points of her job, there were also bad points. The most obvious one being having to inform the Council of things they should already know, or telling them off about things that they did already know about, but for some strange reason came to her about anyway.

"We've told you this before, Ambassador. The pirates around your borders are just that, pirates that are not legally a part of the Batarian Hegemony." Counciler Tevos said, her hologram looking calm despite the intent of the conversation.

"Three pirate frigates, each one crewed entirely by Batarians." Flandre explained with an exasperated sigh. "Considering the Hegemony only allows certain castes to leave their planets, I find it hard to believe that many Batarians manage to leave and become pirates, all who happen to be probing Alliance territory."

"It is simply coincidence." Councillor Valern said calmly. "The Batarian Ambassador has guaranteed that none of those ships are in any way related to the Hegemony."

"And they're obviously lying and using the fact that they use pirate IFF's." Flandre aid with a sigh. "You do realize, that if we find evidence that proves this, the Alliance will not leave it at that, right?"

"That would mean war against the entirety of the Council, as the Batarians are an associate race of the Council." Councillor Spartacus said grimly.

"No, it would be the Alliance against the Batarians, especially if you cut them loose. But that is not why you have called, is it?"

The three councillors looked to each other, and after a second Tevos spoke up. "No. There are a couple things we'd like to speak to you about. The first is a minor thing. Ex-Captain Desolas Arterius, how is he doing?"

Flandre figured this would come up at some point. Kicked from the Hierarchy and falsely branded a traitor he had decided to go ahead with the advanced magic course that was open to him. And a couple of months later his name was the first to appear on Flanders's desk for Alliance citizenship. She had put it through almost immediately. She had even heard he had willingly gone through with a R&D Procedure that allowed him to constantly eat Alliance food without need for the pills. "The last I heard he was doing fine, and is currently at the top of his class in the Philosophe's courses."

"That is . . . good." Spartacus said with a sigh of relief. "I only wish we had been able to stop that leak before it happened."

Flandre grimaced at the way he said it. Since Saren had caused that leak he had started making a name for himself as one of the best spectre's. There was no way the Council would sell out one of their spectres. Then she remembered something, a report from only a week or so before that made her smile.

"Ah yes, that reminds me. Another Spectre was caught in Alliance territory. He entered legally, but tried to illegally enter and force his way into one of R&D's high security research labs. Would you like his remains returned?"

"His remains, not a body?" Valern asked calmly.

"He was caught by researchers doing weapons testing on the prototype for our next model of rapid fire laser machine gun. They decided to test it on him. There is, not much left of him or his equipment admittedly."

Tevos let out a sigh. "Please do. . . . There are a couple other things that we need to discuss, however. Matters that could be serious."

"And they are?" Flamdre asked, somehow knowing that whatever it was would be ridiculous, or stupid.

"First off, we've had reports of an Alliance cruiser that landed on Tuchanka, but has not left in over the year it's been there. It is possible that the owner was killed and we believe that it should be-.."

"I wouldn't worry about it. The owner is fine." Flandre interrupted, knowing from Eirins reports that not only did the Council know she had been there for longer than a year, they had been sending STG teams off and on for over a year easily. Every time it was the same thing too, them trying to kill Bakara, the Krogan trying to better her people. It seemed the Council was deadset on watching the Kogan slowly go extinct. And that made Flandre like them even less than she already did most of the time.

"Are you sure? Perhaps we should send in some STG agents to help secure the site?" Valern suggested, making Flandre's wing twitch, while the rest of her remained calm. As much as she wanted to blow the councillors apart for their terrible attempts at manipulation, she needed to stay in control and not react.

"No, that is alright, sending in agents will only make the situation dangerous. Our reports say that the situation is under control and there is no danger, in fact it is improving. What is the other thing you needed to speak of?"

"There have been reports of the Quarian migrant fleet nearing Alliance territory. To make sure they do not attempt to steal your technology or break your rules, we would suggest that your people make it clear they are not welcome. They are nothing more than wandering thieves and vagrants. We wouldn't want something to happen to any of your planets or facilities due to their presence."

Flandre had to clench her hand in a fist to stop her from blasting the Holograms, though the information they could be coming to accept the offer Yukari had supposedly offered them was a good sign. "Very well, I will take that under advisement and inform the Alliance of your, worries."

"Good, there one other thing," Spartacus said with a tired tone. "Again, our various militaries are requesting pieces of your weapons technology to study."

"Each time it is the same request, and each time my answer will be the same. The alliance does not yet feel the Council races would find any use from our weapons due to an inability to reproduce their power cores."

"Regardless many of our scientist are eager to try regardless. Would it be so dangerous if you feel as such?" Valern pushed.

"Very well, I will broach the subject to Kaguya and Hackett."

"Thank you for your understanding, Ambassador." Valrns said with a slight smile.

"Is there anything else you need, Councillors? I have a mountain of paperwork still to go through."

"No, there is nothing else." Tevos answered.

"Good. Then I shall bid you good bye for now." Flandre said as she moved to close the communication. "Just remember what I said, if we find anything connecting the pirates and the Batarians, they will not have a chance to regret it."

"Dully noted, Ambassador. Good day to you." Spartacus said as the communication closed, leaving Flandre alone with her thoughts.

"Haaaaa, I need a drink. Maybe Mei has some actual paperwork for me too. And maybe giant squids will attack us. Ha, as if!" Flandre muttered to herself, hoping some connection between the pirates and Batarians was found. The constant pirate reports were getting annoying. At least the Krogan and Quarian situations were going well though.

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 **Location unknown, August 21** **st** **2142**

Matriarch Escelva threw her arm to the side, her biotics flaring and sending a chair into the wall of her office with a scream.

"I tire of your excuses! We had a deal and you have been paid more than half of your price already. You will get nothing more until I get my samples!"

The Batarian on the other line, by the name of Bashok Griths, cringed slightly, but held back the majority of his intended reaction. "And we are almost ready. The Alliance's strange travel technology makes it impossible to catch their ships between their destinations. The only option we have is to attack one of their planets, and to take as many people as possible during the attack. You'll have your samples soon enough."

"I better, Griths, I've paid you far too much money as it is!"

"And you'll pay more if you want more samples!" he growled back in reply. "We're planning a massive operation here, the more money you fork over to help it succeed, the more samples you'll have guaranteed to you, above the initial three dozen I add!"

Matriarch Escelva sat for a couple moments as her biotics died down, and then finally gave a sigh. "Very well, I'm in this deep, a little more for extra samples could not hurt. I'll have an additional twelve billion credits transferred to you and your people. Remember, I want a dozen samples of Human, Youkai and Lunarians, with varying ages, each dozen half men and women, understand?"

"Yes, I understand, you're order will be delivered a promised, and we'll have the best catch in centuries!"

"I don't care about that, but when shall you act?"

"In a few months. We'll hit the Alliance on the anniversary of first contact, and show them what terminus warlords and the Hegemony can do!"

"See that you do. Watching the Alliance squirm and realize they are weak will be just as good as getting my samples. Good luck to you, Bashok. And don't get found out!"


	20. The Blitz

**Authors note: Sorry for the lateness, things have been hectic as a family member broek their ankle so I'm helping take care of em. I'll try extremely hard to pick up the writing pace here though, as I've also been playing wat too much Starpoint Gemini warlords.**

 **Magic Academy Ship Philosophe, Location unknown, October 3** **rd** **2142**

The MAS Philosophe was designed with one thing in mind before all others, classes. This made it different than the Final Spark, designed for combat primarily, or the Wonderland, designed more for research. Designed first for classes the Philosophe had dozens of practice rooms, classrooms, research and study halls, and of course its doorway into the Voile Library, where most research took place on the ship. What took up the most room however were not the classrooms of the ship, but the practice hall.

The practice hall was a rectangular room roughly the size of a professional football field. Small alcoves set in all the walls to allow spectators to learn off those who trained, and powerful barriers kept magicians spells inside the field, and out of the alcoves. Many classes were held in the practice hall, but there were also times where it was used for free study or practice, often leading to mock duels that allowed students to test their metal.

Such as one such duel that was currently going on, with almost the entire ships student body watching either from alcoves or video feeds.

"Damn, neither of them are stopping, are they?" Anderson said with a chuckle as a flash of blue light nearly blinded all those watching the field.

"Of course not." Adaaya deadpanned with a sigh as she looked to her right at David Anderson and Kahlee Sanders who both stood watching the spectacle before them. "It's the old immovable object scenario, as long as both of them have mana, they're not going to stop. It's a battle of endurance now unless one of them changes their tactics."

"I agree, they both are strong, but this gets neither of them anywhere." Kahlee said tilting her head a bit as she watched the show of power. "Do you think, they don't realize it?"

"No, they both know this." David said with a smile as he noticed Adaaya's own grin. "They're both waiting for the other to slip up.

"Then we just have to see who does!" Adaaya said as she leaned forward a bit, her smile widening to a smirk. "Or we see who makes the other trip up!"

Down in the practice field, the two magicians that were creating such a stir were one Conrad Verner, and the Alliances only Turian, Desolas Arterius.

At the one end of the field Conrad stood firmly with both hands up. A shimmering shield of magic, both spiritual, physical, and elemental billowed out in front of him forming an impenetrable barrier that would stand up to all except perhaps an S Rank power, or an asteroid. He wore simple grey pants and a loose white shirt, both billowing and flapping against his body from the waves of force that echoed and billowed out from his own power.

On the other side of the room was Desolas, his arms up as well, great orb of light and energy floating in his claws, and streams and forks of lighting pouring out of them faster than the normal naked eye could watch. He was wearing pants that had been made for him of a dark blue thick material that could take some punishment, mainly from his claws. He wore no top, leaving his upper body bare to the elements, and on each leg, and forearms were strapped small holsters that held not guns, but solid blocks of Silver.

Both men seemed equally matched in strength of power, ones offensive, and the others defensive, and while impressive many of the onlookers were getting bored. They had been continuing such a scene for almost a half hour straight after all.

Then, as some spectators turned to leave, the battle changed. Desolas' output faltered for but a second, giving Conrad a chance. With a single push, his shield flashed out and filled the whole field, dispersing Desolas's magic. He smiled as he then ran straight down the field at Conrad.

Conrad sent beams of white hot light down at Desolas, only for him to dodge them by bare centimeters. Then he formed balls of spiritual energy and sent them flying at Desolas one at a time. As they neared it seemed he had no defence, until the blocks of silver he carried shot out and formed a dozen long thin blades that hovered in the air, and promptly began slicing the magic apart before it could strike him, like a tornado of steel.

Conrad then did something that surprised everyone, and formed a massive wispy aura shaped like a tortoise around himself, and from it a never ending barrage of attacks poured out from its shell, all homing in on Desolas.

With a crack of thunder, Desolas was propelled off the ground up to a wall, and then bounded off of it, his blades still slashing all that neared him. Soaring through the air he swung his hands down, making all of his blades form together into one massive spike that slammed down on to the tortoise spirit, just as a coating of charged electricity suddenly flashed around it. The resulting flash and explosion deafened those watching for a moment, even with the barriers protecting them, and by the time it faded, the field was covered in scorch marks, Conrad was leaning against the back wall, and Desolas surprisingly was against the opposite wall.

Both of them were breathing heavily, and while Conrad looked worried and exhausted, Desolas had what counted for a grin covering his face. It was at that moment, as the shards of silver strewn around the field flew back and hovered around him, did Conrad realize that he had lost. The shards molded and melted together, forming a trio of rails that floated in the air to Desolas's side. Each rail coursed with electricity, and after a second of complete silence, Desolas pulled out a large block of metal, not silver, and shaped like a bullet. He tossed it up in between the rails, and in that moment the electricity grabbed hold of it, and the bullet was sent flying out from between the rails, right towards Conrad.

Conrad threw up a shield, as powerful as he could with nearly no preparation, just as the slug would have stuck him. The explosion of force made the barrier around the alcoves flicker, and the entire ship shook for just a second.

As the noise and shock died down, a ping was heard in the practice field as a blue sphere appeared in the middle of the room, pulsing nonchalantly. The match was over, declared a tie by the rooms magic.

Those spectating instantly roared with cheers to the two of them, and conversation amongst themselves. Adaaya, David and Kahlee however all dropped down into the field and walked over to their friends, who had already met up in the middle of the field.

"Damn Desolas, you're getting stupidly good." Conrad said with a smile.

"Thanks, I wasn't sure I'd be able to break through for a bit there." Desolas admitted, earning a scoff from David as they approached.

"Oh please, you made a railgun of all things in the middle of combat!"

"Yeah, how'd you manage that?" Kahlee asked curiously.

"Well, I just-," Desolas began, only to be interrupted by a loud klaxon that shrieked over head for a moment. The alarm for an emergency Boundary jump.

A second later the entire ship heaved and seemed to lengthen ever so slightly before returning to normal, and the klaxon stopped only to be replaced by an intercom.

"Attention all crew and students of the AOS Philosophe." Came Patchouli's voice, making everyone instantly stop what they were doing and pay attention. Especially since she called the ship the AOS, not the MAS. "We have just received an emergency transmission from Shanxi stating they are under attack by what appear to be fringe elements operating out of the terminus systems, likely pirates or slavers. We are heading to assist and will arrive at Shanxi in less than an hour. As of this moment combat protocols are engaged and everyone is to prepare for combat. Additionally, all students that are part of the advanced class are to meet me in the bridge immediately. That is all."

For a second no one moved, but immediately after everyone moved instantly. The calm demeanors and friendly smiles gone, and replaced by cold looks of hate or worry, and grins of vindictive expectation.

"That's us, looks like Patchy wants to see us!" Adaaya exclaimed as she threw a bag at Desolas, getting a nod of thanks from him as the five of them all turned and rushed out of the practice field and into the halls of the Philosophe.

"Any idea what she wants us for?" David asked as they ran past a group of students where were rushing past muttering and cursing.

"Probably for tactical information." Desolas said as he pulled a dark blue short sleeved tunic out of the bag and threw it over his head, quickly pulling it over before he could run into something. "If Shanxi is under attack by fringe elements, it's probably Batarians. Slaving fucks!"

"OH, Desolas learned the big words!" Kahlee teased with a grin.

Desolas however did not smile. "The Batarians are a blight on the galaxy. The hierarchy tried numerous times to control them, only for them to hide behind cultural significance and other such nonsense. They enslave other races, while consistently lying about doing so. And the council never did anything about it simply because it would be too much trouble." Then Desolas smiled as an arc of electricity bounced suddenly between a couple of his fringes. "Something tells me the Alliance will not accept such reasons if it is discovered they are behind this!"

"Oh, you have no idea!" Adaaya said with a grin as the five of them ran up a wide flight of stairs. "I've looked at the official response records for if they try anything with my Bladebreaker clearance, and its weakest response is total destruction of the Batarian navy if they are responsible."

"What's the biggest response?" Conrad asked as they all turned at the top of the stairs.

". . . . . you don't want to know." Adaaya said grimly as they came up to the door to the Philisophe's bridge and stopped in front of it. A second later it opened, and they walking in, finding Patchouli waiting for them, her expression cold and calculating.

"Thank you for arriving so quickly. There are two things I need from you, information," Patchouli said as she looked to Desolas. "And cooperation. What can you tell me about Terminus Pirates?"

"Batarian pirates, you may as well call them what they are." Desolas said dryly. "Half the pirates in the terminus are either Batarians, or payed off by the Hegemony. Do we know how many ships or forces are attacking Shanxi?"

Patchouli shook her head. "The emergency call stated numerous ships and ground forces coming from them, not exact numbers."

"I understand. Massive pirate attacks have only happened a few times, and are usually caused by one or two high ranking pirate lords or Batarian captains trying to earn big and solidify their control over others with a successful gambit." Desolas said as he pulled out his Omni tool and began tapping away, bringing up small holograms. "Slavers have two primary methods of capturing people, electrified nets, or shot gun style weapons that fired a cone of small needles filled with a paralytic. If they are not slavers but pirates, there will be no attempts to capture people, only kill them."

"Noted. What of their ships, can we tell who is leading the attack from the ships themselves?"

"Probably not. Pirates often buy or steal older models of frigates and cruisers primarily, then refit them as needed." Desolas explained calmly.

"I see. Then what I am about to ask become even more important. As you all know, even if the Hegemony is behind this, without proof, we cannot act against them. I would like the five of you to form a squad and break into one of the pirate ships. You are to find the bridge, and break in and find out where the ship came from, and who is leading the assault. Understand?"

All five of them nodded, and Kahlee rose a hand up halfway. "What of the ship and its crew?"

"If possibly the ship could be captured for study. The crew, unless they have useful information, can be executed without issue. They are pirates, nothing more."

"How are we getting on the pirate ship then? David asked. "I doubt they'll just let us on."

"There is a shuttle being prepared, unfortunately it's all we have."

"It will do, I can shield us from any fire it would take." Conrad said with a nod.

"Good. I realize that this is a potentially dangerous mission, but I believe you all will suffice. Prepare yourselves and your kit and armour and then head down to Side hanger C. The shuttle is waiting there. Dismissed!"

With a bow they all backed out of the bridge, and as the door closed, the seriousness of the situation dawned on them.

"Holy shit, we were just given a mission by Lady Patchouli!" Kahlee exclaimed with glee.

"It's not that big of a deal, you know." Adaaya said calmly. "you guys were on Shanxi under General Williams, right?"

"Yes, but being ordered by a general and being given a mission by an operative are two different things!" David said, breathing slightly heavily.

"You might look at it differently because you have military rank already, right?" Desolas suggested, earning a strange look from Adaaya.

"Well, maybe. . . I guess."

"You must not think much of it either then, huh Desolas?" Conrad said with a grin. "Having already, err, I mean having been in a military with rank, or . . . sorry."

"No it's alright, I know what you're meaning, and I think you may be right." Desolas said as he took a breath and let it out. "Admittedly, the thought of being ordered to board and take over a pirate, and possibly a slaver ship, is something I've wanted to do for a long time though!"

"Well then, we better get ready!" Adaaya said with a grin, "let's head to our quarters and get suited up, I'll see you guys in the hanger!"

"Aaaand she's gone." David said as Adaaya bolted off, her wings propelling her down the halls more like flight than a sprint. "Admittedly, while I am willing to do it, I'm not sure about this mission."

"Oh, why?" Desolas asked as the four of them began walking down the hall at a rather quick pace.

"We may have some experience, but you and Adaaya have more. Our experience is fighting an enemy that didn't know our capabilities, but these pirates, they've probably read the information that the council was given. I just feel like we'll be walking into a trap.

"We might be, but pirates excel at that, so we'll just have to . . . what was the saying again?" Desolas asked curiously. "Play it by eye?"

"Play it by ear." Conrad corrected as Desolas turned down a different hall to where his quarters were. "Meet you at the hanger!"

"Count on it!"

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Forty minutes later Conrad, David and Kahlee stood in the hanger looking over their equipment as their shuttle sat idly waiting for the mission to start.

All three of them wore the regular spacefaring armour for magicians, a combination of hard suit sections over the torso, and lower legs, with cloth sections between and magical runes and symbols all across it. The wearer was protected from space by the magic, and as long as the outfits power was stable, they could survive even if unconscious.

Conrad was looking over a pulse pistol he had in his hands, its holster sitting on his one leg, while Kahlee and David were checking over each other's suits, making sure all the magic circuits were in good shape.

". . So, what do you think?" Conrad suddenly asked as he slipped his pistol into its holster.

"About what?" David replied calmly, tightening a fastener on his arm while Kahlee went behind him and tapped on his armour to check it.

"Adaaya and Desolas."

Both Kahlee and David froze for a moment, looked at each other, then looked at Conrad.

"Adaaya is insanely strong. She's an N5 class blade breaker, and her skill with wind magic is more powerful than I could ever hope to control." Kahlee said calmly.

"And Desolas, despite being still new to magic, learns faster than most people I've met, and his skill is equally impressive. He's so powerful he could probably enter the N program and get far. As an example of his races potential for magic, they are insane for not seeking it out." David said before letting out a sigh. "They both deserve being considered among the elite on the ship."

"Um . . . . I was actually meaning what kind of armour did you think they would wear." Conrad admitted.

Both Kahlee and David looked at him before looking away, clearly embarrassed by their words.

"That never happened." Kahlee said as he looked back at Conrad, doing her best to compose herself.

"Of course." Conrad said as he held his hands up. "I do agree though, both of them are extremely powerful. I could see them graduating from the Philosophe whenever they want."

"Not going to anytime soon though!" Adaaya said as she walked into the room. Her armour was similar to the basic magician armour, but clearly altered and customized. Armour covered her chest and torso, while smaller, sections of plate were on her lower legs, outer thighs, and her shoulders. Cloth sections hung from her torso around her waist and off her shoulders, but most of her legs and arms were uncovered. Her wings were mostly uncovered except for some metal beams that seemed to be held against the upper edged out from her shoulders, and she had a helmet in her hand that was devoid of features, looking like a faceless black plate, and on it and the upper left side of her chest piece was a small red N5 logo. "And don't worry, I only heard your last sentence, I didn't hear what the start of the conversation was, sorry."

"No, its fine." David said as he looked at Adaaya' armour. "Customized magician?"

"Customized Blade breaker actually." Adaaya said with a grin as she looked around. "Desolas is not here yet?"

"No, we thought he'd get here before you actually." Kahlee said as she stood up and began stretching as a red light began flashing in the hanger.

 **Five minutes until Shanxi, all personnel prepare for combat.**

"Wel,l he better get here fast." Conrad said with a sigh, just as the door to the hanger opened.

"I'm here, don't get impatient." Desolas called as he walked over, and then noticed Conrad, David and Kahlee staring at his armour in surprise.

His armour was a full hard suit, or at least it had been to begin with, now it was cannibalized and redesigned so heavily it was nothing close to it. The torso armour was roughly untouched aside from glowing lines and symbols etched into it, and the legs looked to have been redesigned, with hard ridged sections covering them and built in holsters on the upper legs. The arms were lighter armoured, looking more like vambraces connected with cloth up to his shoulders, where shoulder pads sat connected to the cloth itself and not the torso. The helmet was a half helm that covered the back and the lower section of his head, leaving his eyes uncovered by all but a clear plate, and all across the ensemble were veins of bluish silver energy and light, among etched symbols barely noticeable.

"What the hell is that?!" Conrad exclaimed in surprise and clear interest as he looked it over, making out some of the markings on the arms.

"A partisan light hardsuit." Desolas replied. "I've gutted and redesigned it from the ground up though, so it's more original than anything else."

"It isn't powered by Eezo is it? And how'd you get it? "David asked, knowing the story of how Desolas was rudely removed from the council.

"No, it's powered with alliance technology, a small MAGTECH Reactor just like yours. And I got it from an, acquaintance I know on the Citadel."

Conrad looked at Desolas for a second before a hollow look covered his face. "Wait, you don't mean . . . her, do you?"

Desolas looked confused, making Adaaya laugh as she nodded. "Yep, Desolas is personal acquaintances with Flandre Scarlet!"

"Mother of, just. . . . . Damn!" David said as he shook his head.

"Whats the big deal?" Desolas asked as he checked his vambraces, revealing that they had holsters with silver blocks in them as well.

"Flandre has a nasty history of blowing people out of existence on a whim. She doesn't do it a lot now, and she's a lot calmer, but most people still hold a healthy, or psychotic, fear of her." Adaaya said with a grin. "The idea of asking her for favors scares people."

"Really?" Desolas asked with a confused expression. "I'll admit she scared me a bit when we first met, but that was on Shanxi."

"Just . . . . hope you never see her angry." David muttered with a gulp. "I heard the last time she got pissed off she blew up a small star."

"You're joking, right?" Desolas asked, making Adaaya grin.

"I'll show you the video when we get back. It's quite the spectacle, and is a good way to show the different in power between operative classes." Adaaya explained, just as lights flashed in the hanger.

 **Entering Shanxi system, all personnel prepare for combat maneuvers and target acquisitions.**

A second later the Philosophe came out of its boundary slip and into the Shanxi system. A screen popping up in the hanger showed the situation, and it looked worrisome.

Shanxi sat in the darkness of space, while surrounding it was a swarm of ships. Turians frigates, Batarian cruisers, even mercenary cruisers and corvettes sat around the planet. The screen showed numerous frigates and transport ships already down in the planet's atmosphere, and more being disgorged by the fleet above it. There was however a great amount of wreckage surrounding the planet, and many pirate ships looked damaged or crippled.

" **The Philosophe is the first ship to arrive, prepare for combat; all units are free to engage!"** Came Patchouli's stern voice over the ships intercom, and immediately the ship seemed to vibrate. A second later the feed showed a swarm of magical blasts flying out away from the Philosophe and toward the pirate fleet.

Then, the screen changed, zooming in on a pirate ship near the back of the fleet, a cruiser that looked in good repair, and that was not immediately in danger from the Philosophe's fire. A green aura suddenly surrounded it on the screen, just as the hanger door began to open, showing the darkness of space.

"Looks like we have our target ship." Conrad said as he walked over to the shuttle and threw the door open. "Everyone got what they need?"

"Yep!" Kahlee exclaimed as she and David picked up their laser rifles from the floor beside them. Despite being mages, they knew it was best to be prepared. A person's mana did not last forever after all.

"Are you two grabbing weapons?" David asked as he looked to Adaaya and Desolas.

Desolas nodded and walked over to a weapon locker, pulling out a light beam rifle and tossing it onto his back. Adaaya smirked and shook her head. "I don't need a gun!"

"Your funeral." Conrad said as he walked into the shuttle and it began humming. "Get in already so we can go!"

Everyone filed in and got into the shuttles large seats, buckling themselves in as the door shut, and the engine roared. A second later everyone felt a moment of inertia, before it was lost as they entered the blackness of space.

"Wasn't R&D going to make a heavy assault landing craft modeled after the Danmaku class interceptor?" Kahlee asked after a few minutes of silence.

"They are, but I heard they were having some trouble with balancing it." David replied as he looked to Adaaya. "I have to ask. You're already a blade breaker, so why take advanced magic courses?"

"I wanted to increase my prowess." Adaaya replied with a shrug.

"But your wind skills are already extremely strong, why would you-," Kahlee tried to ask, just as the shuttle shook suddenly, making everyone buckles do their jobs. "Hey, watch the flying, Conrad!"

"Oh, shove off!" Conrad yelled back. "We've been spotted and our shield is holding. Just keep buckled up, this is only going to get rougher." Conrad added as everyone could feel a sudden vibration through the shuttle, likely the shield taking a hit.

"So, what can we expect in there?" Kahlee asked as she looked to Desolas.

"Assault rifles, shotguns, heavy weapons, and probably a lot of explosives." Desolas said simply. "The pirates will be out to kill us, not capture, considering we'll be boarding them. If it's mostly Batarians, expect regular infantry tactics. If there are any Vorcha or Krogan though, they'll come in to fight in melee."

"So keep them at range and outgun them then?" Kahlee suggested.

"No, they'll be used to regular boarding tactics; we'll need to stay a step ahead of them to take over their ship. Magic will be extremely important here, as they have no way to defend against it."

The shuttle shook again and then suddenly dropped, crashing and screetching against metal before stopping with a thud.

"Good, because I got us into the ships hanger as one of their own shuttles left!" Conrad called out with a chuckle.

"Grrrr, Gods dammit, Conrad! Tell us when we're about to land!" David screamed as he hurriedly began undoing his buckles, finding they were tangled.

Just as a cacophony of noise could be heard outside the shuttle.

"Oh crap." Kahlee muttered as she slid out of her chair without undoing her buckles, then moved and began helping David undo his as Desolas and Adaaya got up, already having unbuckled.

"Alright, we're on the pirate ship, right, Conrad?" Adaaya asked as Conrad came out of the cockpit.

"Oh yeah, and the pirates outside are already armed and ready."

"Armed with what?" Desolas asked as a heavy crack echoed against the shuttle door, followed by another.

"Um, I think rifles. All eezo weapons look the same to me." Conrad admitted.

"Alright then." Adaaya said with a grin as she stretched her neck and pounded her hand together.  
"Desolas, your with me, we'll go out first, you three come out afterword's to cover us. Leave none of them alive!"

"With pleasure!" Desolas said as electricity sparked across his armour and formed in his free hand as he pulled out the beam rifle and held it in the other. "You want to open the door, or shall I?"

Adaaya smiled as she looked at the door and kicked it, sending it right off its sliders and out into a wall of the pirate hanger, a smear of red spattering the wall behind it. "Knock, knock!"

In that instant, chaos took over the hanger. Adaaya barrelled out, her wings propelling her just as much as her feet did, while Desolas was right behind. Accelerator fire either stopped on their barrier or was simply turned away, and as soon as Adaaya reached the first pirate, a Batarian, the rest knew true fear. she dashed right at him and struck him in the chest with an open palm, sending him backwards twenty feet into a wall where his body embedded in the steel. He made no sound, and blood leaked from his eyes and mouth for a second before his body fell limply to the ground.

In that one second Adaaya lunged at the next pirate and the next, while Desolas pointed his beam rifle, and his free hand at opposite ends of a catwalk and brought them together. A beam of heat and a stream of electricity covered it, burning, and cutting and electrifying the pirates above before he turned to a pirate looking to take a pot-shot at Adaaya, and sent a quick jolt at him. It struck the pirate, a Turian, in the head and fried his head so completely it would be impossible to tell he had been Turian.

In less than a minute the entire hanger was cleared, a total of nearly twenty pirates' dead, with barely half of them having had the chance to fire or realize what was going on.

"Clear!" Desolas called as he glanced around the hanger, seeing it thankfully only had one entrance in or out.

"Jeez, you two cleaned house!" Conrad exclaimed a he came out of the shuttle and looked at the carnage. "We didn't even have a chance to help!

"You'll get it, this is a big ship so there'll be lots of ground to cover to make sure we get all of them." Adaaya said confidently as she kicked a pirate's body away from the door and into a wall with a dull crack.

"No, we won't need to." Desolas said as David, Kahlee and Conrad walked over to the door where he was fiddling with a panel.

"Why is that?" David asked as he scrunched up his nose at the smell of burning Batarian.

"Because, this ship is an older model and I know its systems. I should be able to lock down the bridge and vent the rest of the ships atmosphere from there."

"Whoa, that's. . . kind of vindictive." Kahlee muttered.

"No, it isn't. See that weapon rack on the wall?" Desolas asked as he gestured to it. "The weapons on it are all slaver weapons, these are slavers who take people from their homes and force them into servitude till the day they die. They don't deserve anything less than the most painful deaths possible!"

"I agree, that plan can let us control the ship sooner and get the information we need." David said with a nod.

"Then that'll be three against two!" Adaaya said with a grin. "Let's get going, the faster we move, the less likely we'll get bogged down by pirates!" Adaaya said as she tapped the door control, only to find a surprised Batarian standing on the other side, looking as if he had been trying to listen through it. He only had a second to yelp before Adaaya hit his head so hard it came off and rolled down the hall.

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"What do you mean you don't know where they are!?" A Batarian, the ship's captain, yelled at his subordinates in a fit of rage. "They were in the hanger just a couple minutes ago! Find them and kill them already!

"But sir, they killed everyone in the hanger, there's no other option as it went silent in seconds!" one Batarian exclaimed.

"Yeah, these aren't aliens, these are monsters!" Another added, sounding scared.

"You all are failures! Every one of you! What kind of Batarian worth his name gets scared from a little death! We are the galaxy's superior-," the captain roared, until a sudden heavy banging echoed in the bridge, and the door to it had a massive bulging dent in its centre. The door was a blast door, capable of standing up to explosives and even Asari biotics, so what could possibly put a dent that big in it!?

The door tried to open but immediately got caught on the bulging dent. It tried again and again to open to no avail, until suddenly it blew out of its frame and into the bridge, catching the captain in the shoulder and blowing his arm off across the wall.

Gunfire erupted in the bridge immediately, followed by the shriek of electricity, and other sounds that the captain could not make sense of. By the time he pulled himself off the deck it was quiet, until he looked and found the barrel of a strange looking weapon pointing at his chest, and a Turian in strange armour standing before him holding it.

"Who organized this attack?" Desolas asked the Batarian captain calmly.

" Who in the-," The captain tried to say, before Desolas's beam riffle cut through his torso in less than a second without any shields to protect him. His body fell to the ground, a shocked and surprised look covering his face.

"Wrong answer." Desolas said as he walked up to the captain's chair, kicked it aside and began tapping the controls of his computer. "And . . . there. I've closed the hallway bulkhead behind us. Venting atmosphere now."

"Good, anyone found any datapads or tablets?" Conrad asked as he looked around and then scratched his chin. "Wait, are they the same thing or is there a difference?"

"Not now Conrad, we need to find that info!" David exclaimed as he looked out the bridges windows, seeing dozen of pirate ships exploding one after another, as ship after ship began dropping out of slip space all around them. "Um, Patchouli marked this ship so it doesn't get shot at with us in it, right?"

"I would assume so." Kahlee said as she picked up a datapad and smiled. "Found the captain's datapad. Let's see. . . . . there's not much, some invoices, disgusting. . . . Some gambling debts. . . Ah here it is. It says something about a Bashok Griths as an organizer for this operation!"

"We have a name then. What about a location?" Adaaya asked as she flicked on a screen only to see Batarians dying from asphyxiation in the halls, and promptly turned it off.

"Not on this." Kahlee answered apologetically.

"I've got that. " Desolas said with a grin. "I've tapped into the ships flight recorder. It was sitting in one place for almost a whole month before coming straight here."

"Where did they come from?" David asked as he watched the pirate fleet outside either get shredded to pieces or immediately try to turn tail and run. Some even managed to, albeit with extreme damage as ship after ship continued to appear, including numerous dreadnaughts.

Desolas stepped back from the console he was at and shot a bolt of lightning into it, frying it in a gleeful rage. "They came from Torfan!"


	21. CH21 - Torfan

**Authors note: alright, I've gotten this question far too many times at this point in reviews and even PM's so I'm setting this straight now. There are simply too many characters in Touhou project to be able to give them all ample screen time, and have it make sense. Not all characters will appear, and the best some may get is Cameo's.**

 **and now we find out how badly everyone wants the Batarians to burn.**

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 **Sol System, Earth, location unknown - October 4, 2142**

"So, what do we have on Torfan?" Kaguya asked as she, Yukari and Hackett all stood around a holographic display table that was showing Shanxi, and the ever increasing fleet around it.

"A moon on the edge of the Terminus systems, orbiting a dead planet," Hackett said calmly. "It has been heavily mined and dug into, creating a massive anthill style cave system that pirate bands and slavers use as a base to service their ships, and as a place to start their attacks from."

"It is owned by any Citadel race or person?" Kaguya asked calmly.

"No, as it is in the terminus, even if it was owned, that ownership means nothing." Yukari said with a grin. "We can strike back at it without the Council being able to do anything!"

"They will probably tell us to stop or to reconsider," Kaguya said with a sigh. "Probably along the lines of us agitating other terminus groups or some other stupidity!"

"They could try, but it would be worthless if we're already attacking them!" Hackett said with a grin as he pulled out a tablet and tapped it a couple times."

"I agree. We can inform Flandre of the situation, after we've sent our forces to raid the moon," Kaguya agreed. "How are our forces?"

"Itching to strike back," Hackett said grimly. "About half the pirates escaped, and with them, a number of our people."

"So they did manage to kidnap people. How many?" Kaguya asked.

"Under a hundred, the young and elderly mostly, those either unable to get to the safe zones or that were too curious for their own goods."

"What forces are you planning to send to Torfan?" Yukari asked Hackett.

"Everyone who answered the call to Shanxi, as well as the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh main infantry, the Sixth and Seventh Red Eyes Corps, and every Blade Breaker available for a start."

"That sounds like overkill." Kaguya deadpanned. "Hasn't almost every operative near Shanxi said they'll lead forces as well?"

"Yes, but we're talking about sieging a whole moon. We are ninety percent sure the Batarian Hegemony instigated this for their own gain, but without proof we have nothing the Council will accept to do away with them. The moon is also going to be chaotic and filled with the galaxies trash, we'll need lots of boots on the ground to find the information we need."

"So what exactly is the plan for besieging this moon then?" Yukari asked as she looked to Hackett, who merely smiled.

"As I said, we're sending almost everything, though some forces and operatives are being asked to stay back to protect Shanxi, of course. To put it simply however, we will surround the moon with our fleets, destroy anything that tries to approach or leave, raid everything while killing every piece of trash there, and once we have the information we need . . ."

"Give the galaxy a show to not screw with us?" Kaguya suggested.

Hackett however shook his head. "No. Provided we find the information we need, we give the Batarian Hegemony a view of what may await them, depending on how they react, of course."

"And who will provide this show? Marisa, perhaps?" Yukari suggested.

"Maybe, I have not decided yet." Hackett said as his tablet suddenly beeped.

"Was that . . . "

"Yes, the fleets are almost ready. I must leave to lead them!"

"Then we will not keep you." Yukari said with a soft smirk. "I'll inform Flandre, so fight well, and get our people back."

"Count on it!"

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"Let me get this straight? You would like permission to join the ground assault on Torfan?" Patchouli asked as she sat in her chair on the Philosophe's bridge.

Standing before her at perfect attention was Desolas, who had a stony expression on his face as he answered. "That is correct."

Patchouli sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Those who study upon academy ships also act as that ship's crew. We will be joining the assault with the rest of the fleet, and asking this is like an army officer requesting to go join the air force the day before expected combat. Why?"

"The Batarians are the scum of the galaxy, and for centuries have been slaving and hiding behind cultural significance as their defence. The Council has never bothered to do away with them when they injure and hurt thousands of people every year!"

"Beside the one that organized the attack on Shanxi being a Batarian, we have no solid proof that they are behind it. That is primarily what this operation is for." Patchouli said as she reached over and plucked a crystal glass of tea off a table beside her and took a sip. "So I will ask again, why should I allow this when it is directly against the regular rules of studying upon my ship?"

Desolas swallowed, feeling Patchouli's cold gaze upon him, staring deep into his unflinching eyes. "Adaaya is going down to Torfan. How is this any different?"

"Adaaya is a ranking Bladebreaker, who came aboard to study and increase her wind magic, magic she uses explicitly alongside her melee combat skills. Technically she is on loan to me until she believes she has learned enough. You on the other hand, while a citizen of the Alliance, have no military ranking with us and therefore cannot make the same claims she can. So stop giving me excuses and answer my question. Why?"

"I believe I can do more as part of the ground forces than manning a gun on the ship." Desolas answered.

"And why do you think that?" Patchouli asked as she leaned to the side and rested a hand in front of her mouth, hiding a slight smile.

"If I man a turret on the ship the most I can fire from it is charges of electricity. Going through Torfans atmosphere, while meager, will weaken its effects. On the ground I will be able to utilize other weapons, and my silver magic."

Patchouli moved her hand away, allowing her smile to be seen by Desolas as she sat up in her chair, then leaned forward. "Tell me, Desolas. When you were learning how to manipulate metal magically, what did you start with?"

"Raw copper, then iron."

"And how did that go?"

"Relatively well, but not excellent. I tried using composites like steel to no avail as well."

"Who suggested to you that you use silver?"

"You did."

"Do you know why?"

"When you suggested it I did not. Later I did some research into it and realized the reason was likely because silver is less reactive than other metals, so exterior forces effect it less."

Patchouli let out a light chuckle. "As always your skills are significant, but your understanding is a bit lacking. Science only belongs in magic so far, and only when dealing with things such as MAGTECH Reactors. No, that is not why I suggested Silver to you."

" . . . .Then, why?"

"Silver is the most magically attuned naturally occurring metal in existence. Other metals can be very magical yes, but they are composites, formed or created from other metals and magic. Silver is magically attuned naturally. It accepts magic more easily, and with the right circumstances can also sever magic and other effects." Patchouli said before letting out a content sigh. "I will allow you to join the ground forces. Go speak to Adaaya and you can likely hitch a ride down with the contingent of Bladebreakers she's leading."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Then, why did you ask about my magic?" Desolas asked, clearly confused.

"I needed to be sure of a few things, had to confirm your will, before allowing it. Had you answered differently, I would not have allowed it." Patchouli said as she leaned back in her chair and took another sip of tea. "Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"No. thank you. I will speak to Adaaya immediately. Thank you."

"Good, then you're dismissed. Try not to die on Torfan."

"Of course." Desolas said as he bowed and left the bridge, allowing Patchy to smile to herself.

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 **0721 hours Alliance time, Torfan - October 5, 2142**

Torfan was a moon that orbited a near-dead planet, devoid of any major resources, and of no interest to anyone. For centuries it had been a haven to pirates, slavers, criminals and lowlifes. When it was attacked all those who lived and worked from it took up arms in its defence. Fleets leaving it on raids was a common sight, but when a fleet of over six hundred ships leaves, everyone remaining would end up expecting great parties and celebrations to be held upon their return.

So when less than half of such a fleet comes back beaten and battered telling horror stories of the Alliance people were confused and worried.

A day later the Alliance came calling, with a fleet capable of rivaling the entire Hierarchy and the Council combined. Over one thousand ships surrounded Torfan on all sides. Most ships were just shy of Council designation dreadnaught class of a kilometer long, while a total of twelve ships dwarfed that by orders of magnitude.

Surrounding Torfan was the remains of the battered fleet, and around one hundred other frigates and cruisers. The Alliance opened fire on all of them without contacting a single one. Some tried to flee, others tried to fire back, but within a matter of minutes the ragtag fleet of ships was being torn to shreds, and Alliance frigates and transport craft began emerging from the larger ships, heading down to Torfans surface to begin their work.

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"Alright, everyone. You know our orders. Land on Torfan, kill pirates, and search for a Bashok Griths, his place of residence or anything of his that will lead us to information! Simple orders, so make sure you don't screw them up!" Adaaya called out as she stood at the front of a transport ship in her armour and gear.

The transport was filled with nearly fifty Bladebreakers, all under her command and supervision. All of their armour had the same basic design, but was modeled or altered to fit each person's needs. Some carried guns, but all of them carried melee weapons on their persons. Swords, axes, lances, even scythes of all shapes and sizes. Some were clearly made of metal, and had edges finer than medical equipment, while others clearly were powered by magic or inherent abilities or skills.

Some had claws, other had wings, and some even had bodies completely different than others, but all of the Bladebreakers, whether they were Youkai, Lunarian or human all had one thing in common. They all had a glint in their eyes making it clear they were looking forward to what was to come.

After a few moments of silence, Adaaya let out a sigh. "Alright, question time."

Three people raise their hands immediately, and as soon as Adaaya nodded to one, they all put their hands down. "Ma'am, who's the scalefeather?" The human asked as he gestured to Desolas who was sitting near the front looking over his vambraces and their attached holsters, trying to ignore the question and the prior gazes he had been getting.

"Desolas is a close combat magician who will be accompanying our group for the length of the mission. And before any of you get ideas, he's more than capable of keeping up with any of you, so no screwing around when we're in enemy territory!" Adaaya said as she looked to the second one who had put their hand up, a Lunarian who was slowly sharpening a massive sword as large as he was.

"Will we have to keep an eye out for anti-ship defences to clear?"

"We will not be asked to clear any of them, no. If we encounter any anti-ship defences, mark it and send the location to the fleet. Hackett's flagship is organizing all fleet actions and they will likely bombard it out of existence. So don't get to close if you mark them!"

"One last question then, ma'am." a Youkai with spiraling horns coming off her head and a thin black whip-like tail asked as she twirled a pair of daggers between her hands. "What kind of defences can we expect planet side?"

"Torfan is less a moon than a massive fort with underground tunnel systems. On the surface, defences will likely be focused in certain areas, but once we get into the tunnels, we're not sure what defences will be like. Our primary foes will be Batarians, Krogans and Vorcha, as well as some Turians, Salarians and Asari. Unless they're tied up or caged, everyone is a criminal, so don't give or expect any mercy!"

"Heh mercy!" one person chuckled as a human leaned away from his seat and lifted his hands a bit, looking worried.

"I know we're here to save our own, but what are we to do if we encounter other races that have been enslaved or captured?"

The transport quieted down in an instant as everyone shut up to listen and hear what to do, worried expressions covering some faces.

"If the slaves attack you or seem like they're no longer there, put them out of their misery, otherwise mark the location. If it comes to it we'll have some people escort them to safe zones."

Many people, Desolas included let out quiet thankful sighs, just before a yellow light lit up the inside of the transport, and everyone could feel the transport shake and rattle as it went through atmosphere.

Everyone immediately began readjusting their gear as Adaaya, seeming far calmer, opened her wrist comp and smirked. "Alright, we've been given our immediate objective. There's a fortified hanger that will be not far from our landing zone. It likely repairs ships and has an entrance to the moons tunnels. We'll be taking that facility, and then heading underground. So as soon as the transport lands we move!"

Almost right after Adaaya said those words, the entire transport shuddered and its yellow light turned red, the doors on both sides at the front and back immediately opening, and letting in the sounds of combat.

Everyone ran out with weapons at the ready through the door nearest them, Desolas included. And as soon as he stepped out and felt shots striking his barrier, he knew the area was hot.

The transport had landed on the edge of what looked to be a salvage yard where dozens of broken ships hulls sat, uncaring about all around them. The facility in front of them, a simple two story building beside the salvage yard and another dock, with only a kinetic barrier covering the open dock from the elements. On the second level was a catwalk covered n pirates and criminals, all hiding behind makeshift barriers and firing their weapons down at the transport and its troops.

And none of them cared!

Gaining citizenship with the Alliance Desolas had come to know a number of things, one of which was the basic concept between each different faction in the Alliance's elite military forces. Red Eyes were spies, interrogators and saboteurs, Miko's were medics and support forces, Earthrazers were ground combat and artillery specialists, and Bladebreakers were melee combat specialists.

But that did not do them justice, nor did it show just how terrifying a group of them charging could be.

Each and every single one of them rushed right at the facility, firing guns as they ran if they had them, and simply running with gleeful expressions if they didn't. Some few criminals had been on the ground outside of the building, and as soon as a Bladebreaker neared them their fates were sealed. Swords swung through armour, hammers crunched bodies into pulpy masses, and claws tore limbs and faces off. In one instant death, in the next the Bladebreaker continued onto the next target, never stopping, never slowing, their weapons always moving as their bodies were.

Desolas felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Adaay standing before him with a grin on her face. She clenched her other hand, the bandages straining against her muscles as she patted him and took a step forward, her wings opening fully out. "Try to keep up, Desolas. It'd be sad for Patchouli to let you come down only to get left behind!"

Then with a flap of her wings Addaya was across the field, in the air above the balcony on the second level, and punched the balcony, sending the whole thing flying off the building with a shriek, landing in the junk piles with a crack. The criminals that had been on the catwalk itself were lucky if they had died when they hit the ground.

"Right, melee specialist." Desolas said to himself as he let out a breath and began sprinting towards the building, willing his blocks of silver out as two long and heavy metal blades. "Let's see if I can keep up!"

As he approached the building he noticed one Bladebreaker with a hammer strike the main door so hard it blew off its hinges, and before anyone could go in, Desolas leapt over their heads and into the buildings main work hall. The two massive blades of metal swung around in heavy wide arcs, taking deep cuts out of the walls and floor as they de-limbed and sent criminal bodies flying backwards and onto the floor.

A second later gunfire rattled overhead, lasers and beams cutting through pirates as others joined the fray inside, pummeling, slicing, hacking and dicing apart the bodies of those that tried to attack them. The pirates and criminals did not last, and few got off more than a handful of shots that all failed to do meaningful damage.

The entire fight took less than a handful of minutes, only a couple terrified, paralyzed or maimed criminals remained. With most of the pirates cleared out everyone began looking around for the way into the moons tunnels.

"Found it!" someone called out as a sheet of metal flew over Desolas's head and crashed into a nearby wall, and through it.

Walking over to the side Desolas saw many already gathering in front of the now door less frame, a deep dark stair filled tunnel going deep into the earth behind it, lit only by a small line of red lights overhead.

"Awfully dark in there." one person said lifting a large axe onto his shoulder as the sounds of combat within the building began to die down.

"Batarians have four eyes, and have arguably better eyesight than other races." Desolas said as his two metal blades floated closer to him and then reformed into their blocks in his holsters. "They also can see in dark environments better, hence the red lighting."

Numerous people all turned to look at Desolas, their expressions neutral, revealing nothing to what they were thinking. After a moment one of them smiled. "Alright, you kept up with our initial strike pretty well and got a few kills. I suppose we can trust that intelligence."

"There's no reason you shouldn't!" Adaaya said loudly as she landed to one side of the group, holding a bleeding Batarian by the head and dropping him to the ground. She planted a foot on his back to hold him down as she spoke to him. "I know you can understand me, so I'll give you one chance. A map of the tunnels below, and any places of interest. Hand them over and you get to live!"

"Fuck you, you slave bitch piece of-," the Batarian was unable to finish as Adaaya twisted her foot and splattered his entire torso across the floor like a spilled bucket of paint.

"Right, you heard him everyone. We're going down there blind so we'll use regular cave and tunnel tactics. Youkai with dark vision get in front and scout ahead, the rest of us will head down in exactly one minute as the main force!" Adaaya called out, a dozen nearby Youkai, all chuckling, stepped up to the doorway and bolted down into the darkness. Gone in seconds.

In that same moment everyone around began quickly looking over their gear, reloading their weapons and even doing some stretches. It was a surreal sight, one that Desolas had only seen with the Turian military. Sure, the Asari and the Salarians had skilled special forces, but he had only ever seen Turians look over their equipment so often!

"Something wrong?" an old man sitting on a crate asked Desolas calmly as he wiped the side of a rifle with a rag.

"Oh, no." Desolas replied as he looked at the man and his rifle. The rifle was clearly a pulse rifle by its design, but that same design was strange, far more open than the few pulse rifles he had seen since getting Alliance citizenship. "Your rifle, it's an older model, right?" Desolas asked as he walked over, hearing Adaaya verbally berate someone nearby. Something about chipping their sword.

"Oh, Jessie? Yes, she is. A damn good one too." the man said as he stowed his rag and offered a hand to Desolas. "Zaeed Masssani."

"Desolas Arterius." Desolas replied as he took Zaeed's hand and shook it, having long since gotten used to the gesture. "I thought almost all Blade Breakers preferred melee or shorter ranged weapons. Aren't pulse rifles a bit too range focused?"

"Normal pulse rifles yeah, but Jessie is special, an old model that didn't sell well. She's designed in such a way that the pulse has an extremely low magnetic field strength. As soon as it hits a target it splashes the energy forward because of that lack of strength, making it akin to an old style shotgun. Only with energized acid and electricity." Zaeed explained with a grin as he flipped out a long combat knife that had no point. "I do have Clarisse here though as well. Can't be too careful after all. . . . What about you?"

"Pardon?"

"Ah, forgive me, I should be more specific. You're the alliances first Turian citizen, and a Mage, so are those metal blades you formed your only weapons for close range? If so, I'd suggest you not go in the tunnels with us. Blades of that size will be a detriment, not a bonus."

"Oh. No, I'll be fine." Desolas said as his blocks of silver slipped out and formed dozens of small knives that hovered near him. "I can freely change their shape to whatever I need. I also have electricity magic and my claws if I need them." Desolas stated as he showed Zaeed his small, but still no less sharp claw tipped fingers.

"Hmm, didn't know your kind were naturally armed. I'll have to remember that."

"You don't need to. Few Turians use them, even in melee combat."

"Why not?"

"Training. Turians are trained in use of weapons, guns and short knives. Its ingrained in us unless we take special unarmed combat training, and most don't, preferring to train more with their rifles."

"I see. You're a wellspring of information."

"Alright everyone, in we go. Let's get to the killing already!" Adaaya called out as everyone began running down the tunnel, herself included as she led the pack.

"Alright, you know Bladebreaker tunnel tactics or commands?" Zaeed asked as he began walking over to the doorway .

"Adaaya gave me a once over in the shuttle." Desolas replied as he followed, forming his silver into a quartet of long thing blades that slowly circled him.

"Then follow me. It'll be tight down there, and our signals that the Youkai will have put on the walls can be, difficult to see." Zaeed said as he pulled his knife back out and held it in his hand, while using the back of the same hand to hold the underside of his rifle barrel. "Let's go spelunking!"

"Right!" Desolas replied as the two of them entered the tunnel last, following the bare wisps of the people in front of them down into the dimly lit darkness of the moons insides.

Heading down the tunnel it was not long until the pair passed over a dead Batrian, his body sliced vertically in half and bleeding out upon the ground. Above his body on the wall was a small glowing red dot, and further down in a small alcove another, telling of a body on the ground.

"Red dots tell of body obstacles to watch for." Zaeed explained quietly as the pair reached a split in the tunnel. Both tunnels had small green markers in them, but the one on the right had numerous small blue markers a well, with only a handful on the left tunnels. "Blue markers are used to tell later parties which way most people have gone."

"So we go left then as fewer went that way. " Desolas said as a statement insteado f a question, earning a nod from Zaeed.

After a few more tunnels, turns and forks, the pair finally came to a fork with only one tunnel having reinforcements gone through it, and promptly went through the other.

After a couple moments of silently moving, they began hearing the sound of gunfire ahead of them, and then came out of the tunnel into a massive lit cavern. In the back of the cavern was a large building covering in weapon turrets, firing points and lookouts, and below, hiding behind sparse rocks, barely whole boulders and tunnel entrances was the majority of the Bladebreakers, stuck under an unending hail of mass accelerator gun, turret and cannon fire that looked to have wounded at least a handful of people. The exit from their own path however was a simple overhang where a dead Turian lay slumped against the wall, and crouched against the rock watching the events below unfold, was a woman in black clothing.

"About time someone came down here. I was worried I'd have to break this stalemate myself!" she exclaimed, her voice sounding far happier than the situation below would make one expect.

"Aw, it had to be you, didn't it?" Zaeed complained as he crouched behind a rock to one side, looking down on the scene below.

"Oh come now old man, you missed me!"

"Uh, you two know each other?" Desolas asked as he crouched down at the tunnel mouth and looked over the base, noting that the turrets and gun emplacements were firing in alternating bursts to conserve their heat buildup. A surprisingly intelligent tactic for Batarian pirates.

"Unfortunately, yes." Zaeed said with a sigh. "Goto here is a Youkai with the unfortunate mental problem of being a serious kleptomaniac. Almost every Bladebreaker that lives, and many Red Eyes, has had something stolen by her."

"Not everyone. There's no way I'm trying to steal anything from Miss Konpaku or Hinnanai, even I'm not that suicidal."

"I said ALMOST! Anyway, what's the situation, besides being bad down there?"

"Bad pretty much sums it up. All the tunnels but this one lead down to the main cavern below, and the pirates were ready. Must have had a trip line someone pulled. They have the forces pinned by their turrets, and even Lady Shepard is having trouble advancing." Goto said as she pointed down below, at Adaaya who was behind the furthest ahead rock, swatting cannon fire away from her, defending an injured Youkai behind her. "With the little amount of cover, the guns need to be deactivated, or we'll get nowhere."

"I assume you have a plan?" Desolas asked carefully.

"Yes I-," Goto stopped as she looked to Desolas. "Oh, you're the Turian. Huh, who'd have figured. Kasumi Goto, Ghost Youkai thief and Bladebreaker scout."

"A pleasure, but the plan?"

"Ah yes. If you looked to the side over there, there's a section of the base that juts out. I could run down the cliff face her to get to it, but without a distraction there's no way I'll get to the power conduit to blow those guns without being seen. But now that you're here-."

"You want us to wall run down a cliff face and land on the enemy battlements and hold them off?" Zaeed asked with a growl, clearly not liking the idea.

"Well sure, if you want to just hold them off, I'm sure you and our magician friend can kill quite a few of them, right?"

"Alright fine, where's the conduit?" Zaeed asked impatiently.

"Top of the battlements, right in the middle, between the two really big guns!"

"Great."

Desolas gazed at the buildings defences, the separate lines of guns and had a realization that made him smile. "Could you get in the base and cut the power to the whole base from inside?"

"Well, I could. But that would take longer, and those guns need to be dealt with quickly.

Zaeed looked at Desolas's gaze and followed it, smiling a second later. "I see what you're planning. Shall I escort our little saboteur then and leave the battlements to you?"

"Please do. I'll deal with the guns, just get the doors open, and the lower, smallest gun turrets turned off." Desolas said as he stood up and began stretching his legs and arms, the small veins of his armour slowly beginning to glow with more intensity.

"What? . . . Oh, magician. Right then, have fun!" Goto said as she got up and dropped off the ledge, quickly followed by Zaeed.

As Desolas looked down and saw them nearing the building he smiled. It was time to truly let loose, like he hadn't been able to in a long while!

"Phaeston, Spirit of creation. Creol, Spirit of the forge. Gashalv, Spirit of storms. By your names I bring devastation to the land, and tear the life from my foes." Desolas said as he ran at the cliff face and jumped.

Because of a Turians legs and the way they were shaped, they were good at sprinting and jumping, but no normal Turian could simply jump the thirty meter distance to the building, or land without any difficulty. Only magic made that possible.

A nearby Batarian was the only one to notice Desolas's landing, and brought his rifle up to fire. But with a quick glance Desolas's silver shot out of its holster like a bullet at the Batarian. He fell to the ground will a dull thud, a small but clean hole in each of his four eye sockets.

Seeing that no others had noticed him Desolas willed all of his silver ingots out. Two ingots formed long wide blades, easily twice his own height each, while the other two split apart and formed two dozen shorter blades. A moment later arcs of electricity began jumping between them, and he rushed toward the guns, and the small army of Batarians manning them.

The chaos was instantaneous and total. His large blades swung in wide arcs, crashing into the gun emplacements and either cutting through them neatly, or simply bludgeoning them off their supports and into others. The smaller blades went after any Batarians and pirates that Desolas neared, slicing and hacking them to pieces with brutal efficiency. And all the while arcs of lightning tore out, striking pirates at random, leaving those that lived terrified and shocked.

Many of the guns were destroyed in seconds, while those that remained tried to target him, giving those below the perfect opening.

Laser fire, beams, and pulses flew through the air suddenly grabbing the pirate's attention as the Bladebreakers surged forward. The gun emplacements tried to return to their first targets, but were far too slow. Blades of all forms, claws, teeth, magic and death all washed over the battlements, and in the same moment, every gun turned off along with most of the buildings lighting.

The cavern became a glowing red pit filled with the cries and death throes of those within.

In the darkness Desolas moved his blades closer to him to not accidentally strike his allies, and was suddenly beset on by a pair of Turians, glowing omniblades coming off their arms. One struck before the other, thrusting his blade forward, while the other came right after leaping into the air and swinging down at Desolas's head. Desolas dodged the first blow and willed one of his large blades into the air, catching the Turian mid jump and sending him flying out against a dark wall. The resulting sound told him the Turian was pulped on contact.

The remaining one then suddenly formed a second omniblade over his other arm and lunged forward, alternating his strikes again and again hoping to get though. Each strike was blocked by one of Desolas's smaller blades. And each strike he blocked he willed another free blade to strike back, cutting into the Turian pirates armour just enough to break through, but only enough to inflict shallow cuts past the plates.

"You've got skill, but it's wasted among pirates," Desolas commented as he blocked another strike and decided to knock the pirate back, smacking him with the broad side of a half dozen blades at once.

"Wha- ,you, you're a Turian? Serving these monsters!" The pirate spat out in disgust as he panted heavily, leaning against the wall he was thrown into.

"I'll take the Alliance over slavers any day, scum!"

"Hey, it's a job like any other not like-," The Turian pirate stopped suddenly as both of Desolas's large blades swung about chopping into his body and the rock behind him. As they pulled away his head and shoulders, and his torso, all fell to the ground disconnected from his legs and the rest of his body.

Letting out a sigh Desolas looked round through the darkness, just as the base's lights suddenly lit up to blinding brightness.

The building itself was in a sorry state, both due to his action on its battlements, and the action of others within and without. Blood dripped from every inch of the building, and sheared metal sat like razors waiting to kill. Not a single pirate seemed to be alive, and most were in numerous pieces making it difficult to tell how many there actually were.

Walking over to a hole in the roof Desolas could see some Bladebreakers puzzling over a console, but before he could drop in and help his omnitool, and every Bladebreaker's wrist comp began beeping.

A moment later they found out why as a message came out of everyone's tools at once. **"All forces on Torfan, the objective has been secured and found. All forces are to immediately disengage and retreat to pick up points for immediate extraction. Repeat, all forces disengage and retreat for extraction!"**

"Alright you heard the boss. Lets get out of here!" Adaaya called out, more than loud enough to be heard by everyone. "Let's move it, our job is done!

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General Steven Hackett stood upon the bridge of his flagship, the Sol Class Battlecruiser Cataclysm, staring out at the moon that his forces were tearing through. As the highest ranking military man in the Alliance, and the heads of its military, the entire operation, and the one that would come next were under his command.

"Your moon now looks like a ball surrounded by needles ready to impale it, wouldn't you agree, Mr. Griths?" Hackett said as he slowly turned to Bashok Griths, the Batarian responsible for the attack on Shanxi, now being called the Skyllian Blitz by the pirates for some god's forsaken reason. He was kneeling on the floor, his hands chained behind his back as his capturer stood on the ceiling above him, holding a pair of laser pistols right at his shoulders.

"Go kill yourself, you human piece of- arrghh!" Bashok roared as a laser skimmed his shoulder, the smell of burning flesh quickly becoming apparant as his capturer grinned above him.

"Next time I'll shoot your kneecaps out!" she exclaimed, shaking her black and red hair about with a vindictive smile.

"Operative Seija, please control yourself. He needs to live at least until we get some answers out of him." Hackett said calmly as he took a step forward. "Now then, you don't need to answer that question, but you do need to answer my next one. Why did you organize the attack upon Shanxi?"

"Fuck you!" Bashok spat out, his face bruised and one of his eyes stuck shut with a slash mark across it.

"I'm asking you a question, and it would be appreciated if you answered." Hackett said with a glare.

"Kill yourself, human. Your whole race will be nothing but slaves!"

"For your Hegemony, of course." Hackett said with a chuckle when he was Bashok's expression. "We've already hacked your omnitool and your computer terminal. We have all we need, I just wanted to hear it from your own lips."

"What, that's impossible!" Bashok exclaimed as he realized he had just been played for the heck of it!

"No, not impossible, really. Your encryption was strong, but Seija inverted it, so it was little trouble for my techs to crack." Hackett explained, a grin forming on his lips. "We have all the proof we need, both of who payed for the attack, and of your connections to the Hegemony. And with those connections, we now have cause for war."

"Fool, you cannot declare war on the Hegemony. We are a Council race, and you'll be declaring war on the whole council if you do!"

"Oh yes. That is, unless they let your race go. After all, if we show them proof that the Hegemony has been paying pirates, and sending their own people out to masquerade as them to kidnap people for slavery. . . . . . Well, I wonder how they will react." Hackett asked with a smirk as he brought up his wrist comp and began tapping it.

"Admiral, all forces have retreated from Torfan in better than estimated time!" someone on the bridge called out.

"Excellent!" Hackett exclaimed as he looked at Bashok for a moment before smiling vindictively. "Watch this. . . This is Admiral Hackett to all ships. Our forces have succeeded in their objectives and have left Torfan. It is of no further use to us. To keep the danger of future attacks down, all ships are to open fire at will upon Torfan!"

Within seconds of giving the order his own ship shook as searing lights of lasers, the burning streams of beams, and the flares of missiles began soaring down toward Torfan. These shots were joined by shots coming from every ship surrounding Torfan and in moments the shots began colliding with the moon, flashing and exploding and burning through its limited atmosphere.

"You cannot do this!" Bashok screamed in rage. "There are people down there, my people, and thousands of slaves! You'll damn your entire race to war with the whole of the Terminus systems!"

"I think not. This place is not technically in the Terminus systems and if no one leaves it to report what we've done, no one will know immediately. Besides, I doubt your Terminus warlords would pick a fight with us when we're completely willing to destroy their planets to prove our point!" Hackett shot back as he walked up to a console. And pressed a button. "All battlecruisers and dreadnuaghts are now authorized to fire Earthbreaker warheads. Crack the whole moon open!"

"Wait, what?!

"Did you think I was going to stop with just bombing the moon when you have underground bases throughout it?" Hackett asked coldly. "No, I'm removing this moon from the whole system. Its barely habitable, and inhabited only by criminals and pirates. This is doing the galaxy a favour!"

A second later a chain of flashes lashed away from Torfan, and looking past Hackett through the ships window, Bashok Griths could see the moon break into massive fragments and split apart even as more ordinance began to shatter its fragments.

"Send the order to all ships to reform the fleet. We're moving on to Hegemony territory. By the time Ambassador Flandre gets to tell the Council we should be halfway there. It's time to show the Hegemony what happens when you provoke the Alliance!" Hackett commanded.

Bashok Griths stared at the shattered moon, and quickly began understanding Hackett words and his meanings. Only one word came to his lips, and he screamed it at the top of his lungs, hoping against hope that somehow the Hegemony would hear him.

"NOOOOO!"

 **Codex**

Earthbreaker warheads - Specially designed warheads only carried by battlecruisers and some dreadnaughts, Earthbreaker warheads are drill tipped missiles filled with a non-nuclear magical explosive charge that creates a shockwave like effect equal to a twenty five megaton nuclear explosion. The shockwave is designed to rip through the crust of a planet and force a tectonic reaction. It takes many of them to destroy a planet, but just a couple can devastate landscapes by the reactions they cause. Despite their designed intention, they are mostly used as anti-capitol ship warheads, able to crack the very frame of large ships. Because of their large size and expensive production costs, most ships only carry two, and more are produced only when some get used.


	22. CH22 - Revelations

**Authors note: ehehehe, politics, and so much fun if your side knows what it's doing.**

 **Oh, and I have a poll on my profile page(it will not show on mobile) if you feel like giving it a response.**

 **Merry Christmas!**

 **Widow Nebula, The Citadel - October 5, 2142**

Every once in a while, a time that translated to roughly every three and a half months in Alliance time, the Citadel Council held a special meeting among itself and the ambassadors and politicians from each nation under it. And the Alliance as an extra.

These meetings were primarily to keep up with problems before they arose, deciding upon tariffs, trade regulations and other civil things of the like. Ambassadors could also bring up issues they had with other governments, regulations or things that the rest of the galaxy would be interested in, including new trade deals, new regulations or plans.

Flandre Scarlet, the Alliance Ambassador had chosen this time to tell the Council what had happened at Shanxi, and the Alliance's response on Torfan that was happening at that very moment. The only problem was that as the Alliance was not part of the council, unless she was asked a question, anything she wished to bring to light had to wait to the end where people could bring up things of note out of order as they pleased.

And at the rate it was going, Torfan would cease to exist before she even got to tell anyone about the attack on Shanxi that prompted the response in the first place!

They were still in the middle of trade and diplomatic discussions. Surprisingly though, the Volus, the Councils primary traders and merchants, were not the ones causing everything to lag. It was the Asari Republics ambassador, and her arguing about how unfair some trade laws were to the Asari.

Considering that the laws were the most lenient toward them and the Turians in the first place Flandre found it unlikely that she actually had anything to complain about, and was just trying to find a way to get more goods for them at an extremely low price.

The fact of the matter was that, while many people in the Alliance, including her own sister, and almost every ambassador in the council thought she was there just to mess with them, Flandre did know what she was doing. She had been extremely serious about being given the position of ambassador for the Alliance, and while there were many moments that allowed her to simply mess with the council, she did not do so just for the fun of it. it also served as a way to force their hands, to make them slip up and give her more information, to sneak peeks at things they didn't want the Alliance to know.

And there were a lot of them.

In the last meeting the Asari ambassador had tried to twist her words to trick the Alliance into allowing the Asari to travel in their territory at will. The idea had supposedly been for trade, but Flandre had managed to bend the matriarchs own words to make her spill that the actual reason was to try to map the Alliance's territory. Since then, she had never even glanced at her, and had not made the mistake of trying to broker increased trade with the Alliance.

Everyone still tried though. The Asari wanted to trade cultural items, the Volus wanted to trade anything, the Salarians wanted technology. She saw through them all though. the Asari wanted to force their culture on the Alliance to make them join the council and follow their laws, the Volus simply wanted money, and the Salaraian wanted any chance to get Alliance tech. Only the Turian Hierarchy was intelligent enough in their questions and requests, most of them being requests for the Alliance to assist on patrols over some stretches of space, to share patrol maps, and they had even once suggested working together on a cooperative ship design. That one was still being considered by Kaguya though, so it was up in the air still.

Then Flandre hear the words she had been waiting for, the Turian councillor stating that the meeting would move into military, territorial and scientific disputes, meaning that once it was done they'd get to the free conversations and disputes.

Normally the Turians spoke first, bringing up issues with patrols, requests for additional patrols from the other races and the like, but instead a Salarain stepped forward. "I apologize for jumping the line councillors, but something has transpired that requires immediate attention."

The councillors all looked toward each other, then looked back at the Salarian. "Then please, what is it?"

"There was an STG team watching Torfan due to a large scale increase of criminal activity there over the past months. Three days ago, the massive armada of ships left Torfan, seeming to head for Alliance space, only to return yesterday with less than half their force. Roughly four hours ago, they reported Alliance ships slipping into the system, and immediately sieging the moon and all ships around it!"

The entire council chamber immediately exploded with leaders, politicians and everyone in between screaming outrage, just actions, and anything else that came to their minds. Those nearest Flandre backed up away from her in fear, allowing her to tap a message on her wrist comp.

"Quiet!" Sparatus roared, making the chamber grow silent in seconds as he turned his head to Flandre. "Ambassador Flandre, is what this STG agent says true?"

Flandre smiled, causing those near her to back away even further. She did after all have quite the reputation as a highly capable, and gory, killer. "It is true in part. May I ask him a couple questions to ascertain that he speaks the truth to the best of his abilities?"

"STG operatives always tell the truth to the best of their abilities." Councillor Valern suddenly spoke up, sounding very sure of himself.

"Then you can prove that statement if the answer to my questions are perfect then, yes?" Flandre asked with a soft smile.

"That is acceptable!" Sparatus replied, earning a slight sideways glance from Valern.

"Thank you, Councillor Sparatus," Flandre said with a nod as she looked to the STG agent. "To begin, if your people saw a fleet of such a size leave Torfan, why did you not attempt to inform the Council of such a large force gathering, before it left?"

"The agents could not safely get a communication out without being spotted." The Salarian replied immediately.

"Understandable, but if that is true, how did your people discover that the pirate forces were heading for Alliance space? After all, you have to move through," Flandre paused as she counted in her head. "Four relays to reach Shanxi from that area of space. All you would have known is that they were heading toward Council and Alliance space, not which one!"

"The STG ship was able to tail the fleet a few relays away to discern where they were heading."

"And let me guess, when they knew, they returned to their position around Torfan allowing them to witness the pirates failure filled return?"

"Ah, yes. That is correct."

Flandre's gaze darkened as she glared at the STG agent, everyone in the room suddenly getting chills as she spoke. "So what you're saying, is that you knew pirates were coming to attack Alliance space, but deigned not to inform us so your people could go back and be glorified spies. When telling us with even a fraction of advanced warning could have saved lives?"

The council chamber was deathly silent as everyone waited for the Salarian to answer, their eyes, and especially those of the Tevos and Sparatus looking like they wanted answers.

"That . . . our forces were under strict orders to watch and document their actions, so-.."

"So your people ignored the pirates actions that clearly pointed to them coming to Alliance territory," Flandre finished for him. "If the pirates had headed to Salarian Territory, what would you have done?"

"We would have documented the action and sent advanced warning to other STG forces to prepare for their coming." The STG agent answered immediately, a second later his expression changing as he realized what he had just admitted.

"So, you did not do anything, simply because it was not your people," Flandre said with a shake of her head as everyone in the room refused to make eye contact with her as she continued. "if it had been any place in Council space they were heading too, you would have broken your orders to inform them and give them a chance, but for the Alliance you leave us to our own and do not give us even a courtesy call to warn us. The Alliance may not be part of the Citadel Council, but we are allied with your council. And you all wonder why the Alliance refuses to consider more trade deals!"

The entire room was silent, not a single person making even the faintest noise as they all refused to look Flandre in the eyes. Even the STG agent said nothing. But it was Tevos who finally broke the silence.

"From how you said it then, Ambassador Scarlet, there has been an attack on Alliance soil, correct?"

"That is correct. A pirate fleet numbering in over 100 ships attacked Shanxi two day ago."

"Then the Council shall immediately send aid and ships to-," Tevos began.

"That will not be necessary," Flandre interrupted. "Our own fleet came in to reinforce the planet and destroyed roughly sixty seven percent of the pirate fleet. Fewer than four dozen were killed, while over one thousand were wounded, and just under a hundred people taken prisoner from slavers."

"Is that why your fleets attacked Torfan?" Sparatus asked, sounding almost pleased with the idea.

"Yes. The Alliance decided that it would not allow such an act to happen without repercussions. A handful of hours ago the siege of Torfan began. Both to retrieve our kidnapped people, and to discover who planned the attack on us." Flandre explained as her wrist comp began blinking and she took a quick look, only to smile wider.

"They are pirates and slavers out of the Terminus systems, they likely have no leader." Tevos said with a wave of her hand.

"Except these ones did," Flandre said with a grin as she jumped down from the balcony and landed in the centre of the room, creating a hologram of information. "I just got word that the siege on Torfan was a success, and was sent this information. The Batarian that organized the attack was known by the name Bashok Griths. And after some quick looking, his name comes up on the Hegemonies Naval personnel list. Oh, and I think he might be related to someone. Right, Mister Griths?"

The Batarian Ambassador stiffened and looked down at Flandre from the balcony. "I do not know what you are talking about!"

"Of course not. Because your brother being part of the Hegemony Navy, and acting as a pirate with a letter of marquis to do so would look rather bad for you, wouldn't it? Oh, and here's the letter itself. Our people found it in his quarters on Torfan. Read it closely," Flandre said with sadistic grin as she brought it up for the entire chamber to see. It took only a moment for mumbling, angry growls and colorfully whispered words to begin emanating from every angle.

"This . . . . . .makes it clear that the Hegemony has been paying their people, and Terminus pirates to attack and enslave people, to keep their own slavery going." Tevos said sounding like she could not believe what she was looking at.

"You cannot believe this drivel!" The Batarian ambassador exclaimed with a roar. "These are nothing but lies!

"Oh, and is this recording a lie too then?" Flandre asked as the hologram changed to a Asari Matriarch's office, and began playing her entire conversation with Bashok Griths. As soon as it finished Flandre smiled innocently. "I certainly hope that Matriarch, Escelva was it, is not a high ranking one!"

"Matriarch Escelva is a business woman on Illium, not directly related to the Asari Republics leadership. But she is friendly with many of them." Councillor Tevos admitted, clearly looking worried and nervous.

"Then we'll deal with her at a later time. Regardless, I believe this is sufficient proof, along with the other documents, to prove that the Hegemony has been doing, yes?"

"Absolutely!" Sparatus exclaimed angrily as he looked to the Batarian Ambassador. "For centuries your people have claimed to know nothing of the piracy, the slavers, and now this. Just how long has the Hegemony been blatantly lying to the council!"

The Batarian was silent for a moment before letting out a laugh. "For longer than either of us have been alive, and then even more. Every time proof appeared in the past the council covered it up because it was a significant part of our culture. To deny us slavery is discrimination, a crime in itself. And you will be no different!"

"Oh, I don't think so!" Flandre said her wings shaking as she took to the air and hovered at the same height as the balcony. "With the pieces of proof before me, and the notice of the Alliances plans that will soon take action. As the Alliance ambassador I now state that the Alliance declares unilateral war upon the Batarian Hegemony and no others!"

"You fool! You declare war against all of Council space with your words!" The Batarian ambassador exclaimed haughtily.

"What part of unilateral, and no others do you not understand?" Flandre asked with a scowl as she turned to look at the council. "Besides, what will the council do then?"

Both Tevos and Valern seemed shell-shocked, unable to speak. Sparatus, however had no such problem. "I vote the Batarian Hegemony have their citizenship as a Council Species revoked, permanently."

"What?! Sparatus you can't be serious?" Tevos exclaimed in horror.

"I am serious. We've given them far too much leeway in the past. This will be how they learn that you do not screw with the Citadel Council!"

"I agree." Valern spoke up as Sparatus finished, shocking Tevos even further.

"This is an outrage! To the void with all of you!" The Batarian Ambassador exclaimed as he tried to walk away, only to have Flandre land beside him and form Lævateinn against his throat.

"You think I'll let you just go and contact the Hegemony and warn them? I don't think so, you are staying right here. And you are going to answer every little question I have!"

"Fuck you, Alliance piece of-,."

Flandre pressed the blade against his throat harder, drawing a slight amount of blood as she spoke and changed the hologram to a ship based video of the attack on Torfan, and its destruction. "I am not fucking around here! We blew up Torfan, and if you push us, if your people push us and there is no alternative, Hackett will be more than willing to obliterate your entire species without a second thought! Many of us will revel in it! But no, I'm giving you a chance here, a chance to save your people from utter and complete annihilation! You will tell me exactly how the Batarian caste system works and how to tell the castes apart. You will tell me this, because if you do, it will only be the upper castes and those that participated in slavery that will die, while the rest will live and get to rebuild their civilization, either under the Council, or our watch. If you do not tell me, I cannot guarantee that we will not split your planets crust, crack its core and annihilate all life upon it before doing the exact same to every planet under Hegemony control and hunting down every last Batarian in the galaxy!" Flandre screamed, her eyes glowing a baleful red as the crystals of her wings seemed to vibrate and pulse with energy.

"Y-you wouldn't dare, that's genocide! You'll be pariahs to the entire galaxy!" The Batarian Ambassador exclaimed fearfully.

Flandre moved her blade away from his throat, only to then grab his throat with her other hand before picking him up by the throat and dangling him over the balcony. "We already are in a way. SO TRY ME!"

"AAAAHHH, okay, okay, I'll tell you, dammit!" The ambassador groaned, trying to breath as Flanders's nails began to draw blood from his throat.

With one instant motion Flandre dropped back down to the floor below with the ambassador in hand, then let him drop onto the floor a moment later. "Good, we'll need a room!" Flandre declared with a grin before her wrist comp beeped twice, making her pale. "Oh, and before I forget for the third time this week, if you're wondering where the Quarians have run off to, they've joined the Alliance."

The entire room was dead quiet.

"So, about that room?"

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 **Torfan Debris Field, Alliance Bladebreaker Battlecruiser Agincourt - October 5, 2142**

"Thanks for that, the guy just wouldn't quit." Desolas said as he and Adaaya walked out of the Battlecruisers bridge. One of the hanger workers had been stupidly adamant that Desolas was not to be allowed on board as he wasn't a Bladebreaker. So adamant in fact he ended up taking it to the ship's captain, who ended up getting an Operative to the ship involved. They didn't know which operative, but apparently that had worked and the man had shut up, and was sent to the engine department.

"No problem. Patchouli sent me a message saying it'd be better for you to tag along for a bit anyway. Her ship has apparently been tasked with keeping and watching over all the people our groups rescued from Torfan. The Philosophe's almost full, so she might be heading to Shanxi to drop them all off to get tests for their health done." Adaaya responded as they walked.

"Damn, how many did we save?" Desolas asked as he glanced around at the Agincourt's interior. Compare to the Philosophe it actually looked like a spaceship. The walls were made of dull silver steel with pale green edging. The floors were made of metal tiles with flat inset bolts all across them and was covered in scratches. The lighting was the real difference though, alternating strips of light on the upper corners of the halls illuminated the halls perfectly, making the Philosophes lighting seem like a cave in compare.

"All of those captured at Shanxi were found, beaten and bruised but whole. Those already on Torfan that we save numbered at almost a thousand. Apparently, there were a lot who were left behind though. Their minds either not all there, or just completely brainwashed."

"That bad?"

"Apparently, yeah. We're either lucky or unlucky not to have found any captives ourselves." Adaaya said with a shrug. "Those that are alive are the thankful ones, and most likely never thought they'd leave as free people. We did good; and watching that moon blow up was a great climax."

"Not really the end though when we'll be heading into Batarian space within the next few hours I hear." Desolas said dryly, unsure of what to truly feel at the moment. On one hand they had saved hundreds, who would have been bound for a life of slavery, and they even got the proof that the Hegemony was behind it, or so they heard. On the other hand, they just blew up an entire moon, and ever soul on it that hadn't been already killed. They were criminals and pirates, but Desolas himself was sure that he had killed at least two dozen with his own magic, with his own hands. It felt strange, different than killing someone with a gun. More personal.

"Yeah, I heard we're just waiting for more reinforcements to prepare their slip drives to meet us there. We'll probably drop into slip space in a couple hours and head directly to their home world. Cut the head off the snake and all that." Adaaya said as the two of them came up to a large set of metal double doors with a trio of green lights above it. "I need a bite, you coming? I think you'll find it really interesting!"

"Wait, what do you mean?" Desolas asked as Adaaya just smiled and opened the door, nearly dragging him into the Battlecruisers mess hall.

The mess hall was far different than he had expected. The Philosophe's was a long hall with food on the one end and long tables running the length like most he had seen in the past were. This one however was a large open hall with a counter on the one side, piles of uncooked meat, vegetables and noodles clearly visible even from the door. The tables were large squares with what appeared to be large cooktops in the middle, and at them people were cooking meat, vegetables and everything else right at the tables, and even eating from them right as the food was cooked!

"This way!" Adaaya said as she gestured for Desolas to follow her as she walked in, heading toward the counters of piled food. "Bladebreakers are far more action oriented than other elite troops, and over time form very tight knit groups. Those groups often eat together, and to help that along it was decided that Bladebreaker mess halls, either on the ground or in a ship would be designed to help that. Having the groups cook and eat their food together helps calm everyone's nerves from before and after action as well."

"I see. That is an, interesting idea I suppose. So how does this work?"

"Grab what food you want, put it on your tray and as soon as you it down start cooking. The tables have various oils and sauces already there to use." Adaaya responded as she piled her tray high with meat, vegetables and a much smaller portion of grains that looked to be a kind of noodle.

"So, I assume there's a table open then?" Desolas asked as he grabbed some food for himself, an even amount of each, and not even close to the amount Adaaya had on her tray.

"Oh yeah, the squad we went down with, my squad, should have room at it for us." Adaaya said as she prepared to move away but did a double take and looked at Desolas's tray. "You'll want at least double that amount of food. Magic uses energy, and so does movement. And we'll be doing a lot of both in the coming hours and days I think."

"Ah, right. I guess so." Desolas admitted as he grabbed a little bit more and then followed Adaaya across the hall. As soon as they approached one of the tables, everyone at it quieted down and shifted over, making enough room for two seats.

"Bout times you two made it!" one soldier called out with a smile.

"Yeah, you did so well keeping up with us all we're giving you a great gift Desolas!" another called out with a smirk.

"Oh?" was all Desolas could say as he sat down and immediately moved some of his food onto the grill in front of him with one of innumerable tongs that sat at the grills edge.

"Yeah, we've all agreed and put in the application to have you designated an honorary Bladebreaker!" Kasumi said with a grin.

Everyone smiled at this, except for Adaaya, who looked worried. "You are all idiots!" She finally said with a groan. "Do you not recall what that requires?"

"A whole squad's agreement, right?" one person asked.

"Well, they have that. What exactly does it mean though?" Desolas asked calmly.

"If you're given honorary status among any elite force in the Alliance, it allows you to jump right into that elite force if you join the military. It puts you at the lowest rank, but it gets you in because an entire squad believes you have the skill. However, in addition to an entire squadron putting your name forward, you have to be tested by a Bladebreaker aligned Operative. "Said a white-haired woman as she walked up to the table, getting everyone's attention.

"Aw, shit," Adaaya muttered as she gestured to the woman. "Desolas, this is Operative Youmu Konpaku, one of the two Bladebreaker aligned operatives on the Agincourt."

"Oh. A pleasure to meet you." Desolas said simply, unsure of how to act before an operative.

"And you as well. I have heard much, even more now that a request for honorary status has dropped. Luckily, we have a few hours till we move on Batarian space, so I'll test you now!"

At Youmu's words the wall opposite the food counter suddenly opened up, revealing a decent sized arena area. "Um, can I finish my food first?"

"No," Youmu said immediately. As she walked over to the arena and jumped in, dropping her swords at the side. "We do this now!"

Desolas let out a sigh and climbed into the arena. "So, are there rules as this is a test?"

"Yes," Youmu said as she pulled a pair of practice blades out of a section of the arenas edge and tossed one to Desolas. "No innate abilities, no magic. Just skill, and we see how long you last!"

"Oh, spirits." Desolas muttered as he picked up the blade and felt is weight. "May I alter it slightly?"

Youmu raised a brow and nodded. In that second a small amount of silver shot out of Desolas leg holster and wrapped around the handle, allowing him to grip it more comfortably. He positioned his feet apart from each other and held the blade up, signalling that he was ready.

Youmu acted instantly, closing the distance between them and swinging her sword in a broad horizontal arc. She was fast, almost too fast but Desolas managed to jump backwards and dodge it, only to be forced to block her second blow, the force of it almost pushing his own sword against his chest.

"Not bad," Youmu said as Desolas pushed her away and tried to strike her, his blow getting parried easily. "You're the first Turian citizen of the Alliance. Tell me, do you have a brother?"

"I do." Desolas replied simply as he blocked one of Youmu's blows and tried to strike her with his own, it missing completely.

"Are they in the Hierarchies military? Was he on Shanxi?" Youmu asked as she lashed out at Desolas, her own blow being parried this time, and Desolas's counter almost striking her, but instead sliding down the length of her blade. Much to her surprise he then spun about and swung his blade at her legs, forcing her to back step out of the way.

"He was. Why?" Desolas asked as Youmu took another step back, increasing the distance between them.

"Is he a biotic?"

"He is," Desolas said simply as he flipped the blade a bit in his hands. "He also lost an arm on Shanxi."

"I figured. You resemble him." Youmu said as she leapt forward and thrust he blade at Desolas. To her surprise he did not dodge completely, but instead sidestepped it, grabbed the blade with his free hand and swung his own blade at Youmu's body. She bent and twisted around it, then flipped over him and wrenched her blade from his hand, and before he could rebalance, swung it and stopped right at his throat. She was the victor. "You should know then, that I was the one who took his arm on Shanxi."

"I figured." Desolas replied as both of them untangled from the battle and stepped back from the other.

"As long as you know. . . . .You pass. Good luck down there." Youmu said as she dropped the practice blade back into its place and picked up her blades before leaving the room.

A second later the room erupted in roars and congratulations.

And a minute after that the order came down. Their ship has been chosen as one of many that would be taking part in the next operation. Taking Karshan, the Batarian home world.


	23. CH23 - The Siege of Kar'shan

**Authors note: So took a little longer than I thought to get this down and right, so sorry about that. Luckily I'm mostly sure everyone will like this chapter a lot. So enjoy the siege of kar'shan, or at least the most important event of said siege XD**

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 **Widow Cluster, The Citadel Presidium,** **October 7, 2142. Two days after the notice of the Alliance was with the Batarian Hegemony. 1432 hours Alliance time.**

" _And now we return to our primary program. Before our break we spoke with Asari Diplomat Matriarch Benezia, who had given us many interesting views on the Alliance and the reasoning behind their actions past and present, so now I shall introduce our next guest. With us now is Jondam Bau of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. Mr Bau, thank you for coming today!"_

" _Of course, it is my pleasure."_

" _First of all, as a Spectre, you've had dealing with the Alliance in the past. From your experience, why would you say they went so far as to declare war with so little evidence?"_

" _Of course. But to understand their reasoning, you must understand one thing that is very important. The Alliance is similar to the Council."_

" _Could you please explain? I think many viewers would have trouble believing such a statement, don't you?"_

" _No. Like the Council, the Alliance is a group of species that have banded together to be stronger as one, and just like the Council, they make decisions as a group. What is different is that their decisions do not effect just their territory but all of their species as well as their socio-economic and military and research values."_

" _But how does that change the meaning of what they have done?"_

" _The meaning is different because it shows the difference in how their government is built, and how the history of their three races effects their choices and values. Despite the shortness, their histories are far more violent than say the Sari, Volus, or even the Salarians and Quarians. This is a prime example of why they act as they do. Because of how violent their history is they are quick to use violence as a means to-"_

Flandre Scarlet tuned out the annoying noise of the news and conversations being shown on the TV's across the Presidium. Every restaurant, café, lobby and store was showing the same channels. Either analysts or phycologists trying to explain to the masses why the Alliance had chosen to do what they did, or trying to calm people down, mostly a combination of both.

It was a complete waste of time really, no analyst of phycologist could hope to understand their choices unless they had actually met and conversed with someone, and even then it would be nearly impossible for them to discover most people's reasonings. Most people in the Alliance were utterly insane by Council standards, but it was something that came with magic being widespread!

Of course the Citadels choice of news problems was not the real problem. If they wanted to use them as a way to make people think about the reason instead of the fact that the war was on the middle of happening, that was their business.

"Don't move!"

No. The real problem was the fools that thought the war meant she was free game to attack.

Flandre let out a sigh and turned around, seeing a pair of Batarians, a Turian, a Drell and a Krogan all standing, their pointing weapons at her. The Krogan and Drell seemed to be mercenaries by their clothing, but all of them held only accelerator handguns. They all looked angry, but it was abundantly clear they were also nervous and afraid. Around them were dozens of nervous onlookers, some watching with interest, while most seemed horrified or fearful. Flandre had a rather grim reputation for what she did to people who attacked her after all, but what surprised her was that no one was visibly tying to call C-sec.

"Are you really pointing your little peashooters at me?" Flandre asked them coolly. She did enjoy fighting, and the chance to actually feed off people as alien bloods tasted phenomenal, each with their own tanginess and flavors. But the truth of the fact was that it was getting absurdly repetitive with the number of half assed people who were picking fights with her now. All because the Council let the Batarians loose so they would not be pulled into the Alliances war with them.

"W-what does it look like, you stupid Human?" One of the Batarians yelled, shaking his handgun a bit as he spoke.

Flandre snarled with bared fangs as her wing crystals shook and began humming with power. "I'm a Youkai, you Hegemony fuck!"

"Shut up!" The other one yelled, clearly shivering as he did. "You, you think we'll just take this! We should just kill you now!"

"You couldn't kill her even if you had heavy weapons. A bunch of pistols will be worthless here." came a Turians voice as Councillor Sparatus walked over and stared at the five people.

"Huh, you're going to protect this monster!" the Turian yelled at Sparatus, who simply nodded.

"Regardless of what reputation she has, she is the Alliance ambassador to the Citadel. Leave now before I call C-Sec. Understood?"

"What, how could you-"? began one Batarian, before the other put a hand in front of them.

"Don't, he's right, this isn't the way." The one Batarian grumbled something, but after a second they, and those with them walked off and the on looking crowd began to part.

"You know they couldn't have done anything to me, right?" Flandre said after a moment of silence.

"No, but someone has to clean up the mess you seem to always make when you fight back." Sparatus replied with a heavy sigh as he turned to Flandre. "We've had numerous complaints about what you leave behind after you're attacked. In addition to the usual complaints."

"Well, it's good to know I'm well renowned, and that the complaints of your cleaning staff rank so highly," Flandre said with a grin as she walked up to Sparatus's side. "I was heading back to my place though, so please excuse me."

"Actually, there is something we need to discuss." Sparatus said as Flandre began to walk away.

Flandre stopped a bare meter behind Sparatus. "Normally you'd all wait until a Council meeting, or you'd call my abode or office. What's different?"

"I'd rather not speak of it here." Sparatus said simply. His voice was calm and controlled, but something about the way he was standing seemed off, and Flandre could smell the nervousness radiating off of him.

" . . .Alright, then why don't we go to my place? It's not far, and since my office is there as well anything needing to be official can be." Flandre finally said as she continued walking, expecting Sparatus to follow her. He did.

Flandre's abode, also her office and Mokou and Mei's temporary home, was located on an edge of the Presidium, in a location where there was not much else. The MAGTECH Reactor that was installed there was shielded, but because of its presence many people, especially biotics, found being near the building to be unnerving at least, and headache inducing at the worst if they were near it for long periods of time. It was also, of course, the abode of an Alliance vampire, something Citadel folk had learned was a dangerous and dark thing. People simply stayed away from it, or took alternate routes to avoid it completely, giving the area an unlived in, desolate feeling.

Her actual home however, did not have the desolate feeling. As soon as Sparatus stepped in behind Flandre, he noticed the home was well lit and warm. Carpets covered the floor, something rare in many places on the Citadel, and the air smelled clean, oddly so.

"Mei, Mokou, you in?" Flandre called out as soon as the door shut behind Sparatus, her voice seeming far louder than her body should be able to produce.

"Kitchen!" came a reply from who Sparatus was mostly sure was Flandre's bodyguard Mokou. He had found her mostly easy to deal with. If only because she was completely immortal and un-killable and left only piles of ashes to clean up if someone attacked her. While it was dark and horribly unmoral, it was easier to clean up ashes than a person remains scattered across a half kilometer. It also saved having to cremate them.

Spirits, the Alliance was getting to him!

Flandre motioned for him to follow as she left the foyer and entered what looked to be a living room, the kitchen attached to one side and plainly visible. In the kitchen stood Mokou, wearing what appeared to be some sort of tight fitting top and a pair of casual pants. Sparatus still was not sure what he thought of Alliance casual clothing, as it could range to any extreme, but he had to admit that it often showed off a woman's waist excellently!

"Oh, we have a guest then?" Mokou commented as she did something in the kitchen, a crossbar of dark hardwood across the counter making it impossible to tell what she was doing.

"Yes, but it's not official . . . or is it? Flandre asked as she looked back at Sparatus.

"Depending on what I bring up first, it's both official and unofficial. It's just Hierarchy business that's official though, not Council." Sparatus replied calmly, suddenly smelling the obvious scent of tea in the air.

Spirits, did Alliance teas smell good, so much better than Batarian or Asari teas!

"That's perfect then. I just brewed a pot, and you've piqued my interest!" Mokou explained as she came out of the kitchen with the pot of tea on a tray, as well as numerous cups. She walked right in front of Flandre and Sparatus, casually taking a seat on a sofa and placing the tray on the table.

A second later Flandre sat down on a single chair to Mokus' left and she looked up at Sparatus. "Going to sit down or are you intending to stand the whole time we talk?"

Sparatus nodded and took a seat on the couch, at the far end as far away from Mokou as possible. Even after all the time dealing with Flandre, he still was not sure of how to deal with Alliance races on most occasions. Some could be perfectly normal and calm, while others seemed twitchy and could go off at any time. The Alliance itself was far more academically and militarily inclined than they could be though, so at least he mostly understood how their military operation worked to an extent, and knew that they would, most of the time, listen to their superiors.

Probably.

"So, do we start with the official, or unofficial business first then?" Flandre suddenly spoke up with a smile as Mokou passed her a filled teacup, then filled another and slid it in front of Sparatus.

"The official business first." Spartacus said as he took a sip of the tea and placed it down. Silently thankful that the Alliances tea did not require those god awful pills to allow Turians to drink it without problem. "The Hierarchy over this past year has had a new Primarch put into position, as you know. And while we've requested this before, I've been asked to request it in a slightly different matter. The Hierarchy is requesting Alliance assistance, in two things. The first is a request for a handful of people to start a magic course for the Turian hierarchy. Despite some outbursts, the large number of Turian generals believe it could be a useful tool, just as biotic are and-"

"You do remember that if they learn magic, your people will be unable to be around mass effect technology for long periods, yes?" Flandre interrupted with a smirk.

Sparatus nodded calmly. "Yes, I am aware. It is for that reason that the Hierarchy is also requesting the second thing. They are asking to start a cooperative ship building project with your engineers, for the reason of both understanding Alliance technology, discovering a way to fuse technologies, and prepare for a future need for non Eezo powered craft."

Flandre let out a sigh as Mokou simply shook her head. "You know the Salarians keep contacting me for the same thing, only they also keep trying to hack our computers, break past our encryption and steal classified information as well. It's clear all they want is access to our technology, so how is this any different than that, or the Councils attempts to trick us into handing over technology?"

Sparatus silently tapped his omnitool and pulled up a document, holding it up in front of him so that Mokou and Flandre could read it. It took a second, but both of their eyes went wide.

"Is this accurate?" Mokou asked unsurely. "I can see all the correct signage but . . ."

"It is accurate," Sparatus stated in a low tone. "You can pass this information on if you wish as long as it is discreet. The situation is still under development."

"I understand," Flandre said with a nod as she took a copy of the info and stored it. "I'll pass that one along with the requests but I cannot guarantee anything. Is that all the official business then?"

"Yes. Unofficially I would like an answer to a question, and I will not reveal what is answered to anyone else until it is chosen to be made public . . . How well is the Alliances invasion of Kar'shan going?"

Flandre let out an amused chuckle. "Tevos and Valern have been avoiding asking that, you know? it's like they're trying to keep the whole thing under wraps."

"They are," Sparatus admitted with a sigh. "The Batarians have been a Council species for centuries. To find out they have been willingly breaking our rules all this time, and to just let them go to save the rest of the Council is not something they want to be common knowledge. It's why they are trying to divert everyone's attention. And once your war ends, we'll come up with some spirits damned cover story that is more publicly acceptable."

"You don't sound like you support it," Mokou commented with a sly grin.

"I don't. The Batarians disregarded Citadel law and are getting what is coming to them. The public should be aware as well, so they realize with actions come consequences."

"Heh, I'll have to show you an old video of the Alliances we used for PR a while back," Flandre said with a smile. "To take out a terrorist group, I blew up a sun!"

Sparatus stared at Flandre for a second before swallowing. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yep!"

Spartus hung his head down and let out an exasperated sigh. "I really need to just start assuming what you can do based off your vids. It'll probably be more accurate."

"Probably. To answer your question though, the invasion is going slowly but effectively. The Batarian fleets were annihilated easily, but the ground attacks are taking more time."

"I see. Did the information you got about their caste structure help any?"

"It did yes. We're executing anyone from the Batarian government, or high ranking military or labour caste, basically anyone who was allowed to own slaves. Those who were not allowed to own slaves however are being given a chance to surrender. The last bundle of information I got stated our people have taken roughly thirty percent of the land, and that half of the Batarian forces we've met had willingly surrendered. Most of the lowest castes have surrendered unconditionally. It seems the Batarians government controlled their people with an iron fist, and the lower castes are seeing this as a way to start fresh."

"I see. We knew that the Batarians controlled their own people forcibly, but I never imagined it was to such a significant extent. Are your people having difficulties?"

"Some. Most of our forces, not counting Bladebreakers, are not well versed in conquering areas and holding them, so some of our forces are moving slower while others are pushing too far ahead and becoming cut off from our main lines."

"That sounds normal for an invasion scenario. How are the Batarian defences holding?"

"Most have been blown apart from orbit, but some are too close to heavy population areas, so Earthrazers and Red Eyes are dealing with them. We're trying not to, but Hackett is getting impatient so he may start ordering orbital bombardments on small scale targets and then start escalating. Using them as a fear tactic."

"That is against Council law." Sparatus said simply.

"Yes, and neither the Alliance, nor the Batarians are a Council race anymore!" Flandre said with a grin. "Feeling regretful for them yet?"

"No."

"Wow, fast answer. I'm guessing you also want to know about Arterius?" Flandre asked with a grin.

Sparatus nodded. " He's a good man who did what he felt was best, and because of one person's grudge he's seen as a pariah by many. Is he doing well?"

"Yes, he's joined the attack on Kar'shan apparently," Mokou provided.

"I see. I suppose that means his skill and power in your Alliance magic is even more substantial than before. Perhaps he'll even surpass some of our generals and spectres, yet another reason why our more understanding generals wish to look into magic seriously," Sparatus said with a dry laugh.

"It is possible, he is. . . . ."

Flandre stopped midsentence, and the room became as silent as the grave. Sparatus felt a cold feeling wash over him and looked at Flandre and Mokou, seeing a strange expression on their faces that made him feel even colder.

"Is. . .is something wrong?" Sparatus asked clearly nervous about the sudden change in atmosphere.

Mokou nodded slowly. "You could say that, yes."

"What is it?" Sparatus pushed.

Flandre smiled, her fangs showing as she seemed to tremble with excitement. "Yukari just did something, I'm not sure what. But something big, has changed!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Harsa system, Kar'shan,** **October 7, 2142. 1407 hours Alliance time. The Batarian Capitol of Harshov.**

The sky was filled with plumes of smoke, while the acrid smell of burning blood and burnt flesh hung in the air. Buildings sat in piles of rubble, while circuitry smouldered and sparked from underneath the ruins of a civilization.

Kar'shan, the Bataraian home world, a world with over two thousand years of spacefaring history, and many thousands more of its own history, was burning like the fires of hell.

Desolas understood the situation. The Batarian Hegemony had committed atrocities for generation, and this was the final point where the punishment from their actions was being met out. The Alliance was tearing across the planet, killing any who resisted and taking captive those that surrendered. Those that did surrender were treated well after they undertook an evaluation of some sort, but that did not change what was happening.

They were sieging a planet to such an extent that the scars would be visible for generations. The capitol had been the main target from the get go, but now that they were in the capitol itself the fighting was fierce, and the destruction even more widespread.

A chain of explosion rang down a street across the city, splitting a building in two before it crumbled into pieces. Even closer a twister tore up from the street sending tanks and infantry lying in every direction. Just more proof that the Alliance did not mess around.

Suddenly a cry of rage attracted Desolas's attention. Turning around he saw a Batarian tank round a corner, its guns firing at anything and everything that moved as it went, the driver clearly having gone crazy. A line of Alliance soldiers were nearby and hitting it with heavy beam weapons, but the tank was somehow still going despite its damage. Desolas threw his hand out toward it and a bolt of lightning answered his will, streaking across the street and striking the tanks turret, turning it into a smouldering wreck. Seconds later the tank dropped to the ground with a thud, smoke emanating from every inch of it as a fire suddenly flared up out of the crew compartment, along with pained screams.

Just as Desolas took a step toward the soldiers another tank came around a street corner, its turret turning toward him in a smooth controlled motion. It never had a chance to fire as a mass crashed onto its top and drove a wedge shaped indent into its main body. A second later Adaaya stood up from the indent and dropped off the tank, her wings making her easy to notice as she turned to Desolas.

"Yo, Desolas, you okay? I noticed you had disappeared when that building fell and split out squad," Adaaya asked as she walked over while stretching her arms from side to side.

"Yeah, I'm not well versed in having buildings dropped on me, so I was wandering while looking for friendlies," Desolas said with a shrug. "I keep finding tanks and elite infantry though. It's odd."

"Hmm? why?"

"Well, we think that the building over to the east is the Batarian emperor's palace, right?" Desolas said as he pointed to a building in the centre of the city, taller than any other, extremely gaudy in its looks, and under siege from all sides."

"Yeah?"

"Well, we're near an edge of the city, so why so many tanks all the way out here, and where are they coming from when we've got almost the whole city surrounded?"

"Well, yeah, we-," Adaaya stopped as she suddenly nodded in realization and began looking around, her eyes like a hawks hunting for prey.

"Ma'am, we've separated from our captain. Orders?" one of the soldiers asked as they came over and noticed Adaaya's N5 markings.

"Head further into the city and join whichever group you find. There's something me and Desolas need to look into here." Adaaya ordered in a steely tone, never looking at the soldiers as they bowed and ran off. "Desolas, can you see anything odd around here?"

Desolas glanced around and shook his head. "No. We're clearly on the edge of a factory district, but I cannot see anything specific. The buildings are too generic and there's to much smoke and rubble."

"Then we go up!" Adaaya said as her wings spread out and lifted up.

"Do you want to become a target for AA guns?" Desolas said instantly, causing Adaaya to flinch slightly.

"No. They should be busy though, we've a lot of flyers running around. And if we stay low it shouldn't be a problem. You coming with?"

"Haa, fine. But we're keeping low, I can't move as fast as you, and I don't want to be an AA target," Desolas said as he focused his magic. A second later his body lifted off the ground and he lifted higher into the air.

Adaaya smirked and flapped her wings instantly pushing herself above the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. "See anything?"

Desolas lifted up to Adaaya's height and looked around. "The buildings all look the same from a distance. Let's move around and see if anything looks off," Desolas answer as he formed a pair of wide metal blade that hovered beside him. Better to be cautious.

Adaaya nodded as the two of them began flying over top of the buildings. Adaaya would pick up and low down her speed in a rhythm, pulling ahead and slowing down to keep up with Desolas's slower speed. The sounds of combat and war were all around them, making it hard to see anything. They could even hear the sound of missiles being fired.

In that moment Desolas turned around and swung his arm, sending one of his blades out in a wide arc, slashing a missile out of the air that otherwise would have struck him in the back.

"Where did that come from?" Desolas muttered angrily as electricity arced across his shoulders and down his arms. The missile had been large, far larger than any infantry force could carry, there had to be a launcher somewhere!

"I'm not sure; I didn't hear it immediately over the other noise. Would it have come from a fighter craft? I don't see one," Adaaya commented as she looked around while she clenched and unclenched her hands repeatedly.

"No, it had to be from either an instillation or a mobile launcher," Desolas replied as he began scanning the buildings below, noticing a small section of a rooftop slide open as he did. A second later a small launcher with a single missile in it poked out and spun toward them. A quick bolt of lightning blew apart the missile and its holder in one shot. "There."

"Huh, the building looks like all the others," Adaaya commented as they both flew over and landed on the roof by the smoking mess.

"Except for the flaming hole, let's see what's inside." Desolas replied as he willed one of his blades to slice apart the roof around the burning wreck. As soon as there was enough room they both dropped into the warehouse.

It had looked like all the others from the outside, but from the inside it was clearly different. The walls were reinforced stone with metal bands. The windows were easily over a foot thick, and aside from the tower with the broken missile launcher, the majority of the floor was taken up by a large metal square, a large elevator that appeared to go deep below ground if its location and size was any indicator. There was nothing else in the room, no machinery, no rooms or walls, and no soldiers. Just a wrecked missile launcher and a massive supply elevator.

"Okay, this is suspicious," Adaaya finally stated as she walked over to the elevator and looked at the simplistic controls at the one corner. All it had was an up and down button, and the console itself looked old but well used.

"No, really? The single hidden missile turret and the thick walls of a warehouse holding only an elevator doesn't make things suspicious?"

Adaaya turned to Desolas and smiled. "Wow, you've learned sarcasm!"

"Ugh, do we call this in or what?"

"Hell no, I'm seeing where this goes! Could be hidden bunker for their leaders!"

"Or some kind of trap."

"Maybe. You coming or am I going down alone?" Adaaya asked as she pressed the down button, causing a small light to flash orange for a few second before the platform began slowly shifting downwards into the earth.

"Fine, I'll come," Desolas said with a sigh as he walked over and dropped down onto the platform right as it began going down faster. "What do we have for equipment?"

"Um, I got a grenade, one breaching charge that I never use, and a pulse pistol, you?"

"My silver ingots, two incendiary grenades, a small med kit and my beam rifle."

"We'll be fine then," Adaaya said with a wave as she looked up at the spot of light from above them, getting smaller and smaller. This is going an awful long way down."

"It's also slowing down, so I think we're near the bottom. . . How far down do you think we've gone?"

"Hmmm, maybe a third of a kilometer?"

"That's. . . . pretty far down actually," Desolas said as the elevator slowed to a crawl and stopped. The only thing in front of them was a single set of double doors made of polished steel. A red light lit overtop of them. "And, that looks ridiculous."

"It does, huh? Shall we knock?" Adaaya asked with a grin as she raised a clenched fist.

Desolas nodded and in that second Adaaya leapt at the door. One swing put a dent the size of a body in the left side, then another put a similar dent in the right. A third swing opened the centre of the door, and a fourth and fifth blew the doors out of the wall, sending them flying down the hall. A low, buzzing alarm began sounding as the bright lighting was replaced with dim red.

"Well, their security alarms work," Desolas said as one of his swords moved in front of him and expanded just in time for a hail of accelerator fire to ping off it harmlessly.

"Well, at least we'll have no shortage of targets in an enclosed space right?" Adaaya said from beside the door, outside of the hallways sight.

"Yeah. .. . Strike as soon as their heatsinks overheat?" Desolas asked as he formed silver blades off of his amrs just above his hands, the wall of silver still holding.

"Hell, yes. Just gives the word and I'll bowl over their first line!" Adaaya said with a grin, wisps of wind circling her hands in anticipation.

A minute passed, then another, and another, before Desolas let out a sigh. "Okay this is ridiculous. This must an automated turret with some sort of heat jacket or something."

"Agreed, this'll take too long." Adaaya said as she suddenly leapt in front of the hail of accelerator fire, a wispy barrier surrounding her, and then leapt forward into it. A second later there was the sound of shearing metal, the gunfire stopped. "Clear!"

Desolas sighed and returned the silver to its holster, keeping the two blades hovering by his sides as he walked down the hall. Adaaya stood in front of another set of double doors, and beside her sat a pair of large accelerator guns, as well as the wall mount they had been built into, sparking constantly. "So, they had two of them. Firing in alternating bursts probably?"

"Didn't notice," Adaaya said as she kicked the doors in front of her, sending one flying out of its mount.

Both of them stepped through the door, finding a large but empty laboratory awaiting them. Computers sat idle, while strange dark metal objects sat in cases, strange fields surrounding them. As they got to the middle of the room the opposite door slid open and a single Batarian came in. He was wearing the bulkiest armour Desolas had ever seen, complete with actuators and servos at the joints as he hefted a pair of massive arm mounted weapons. Dull lifeless eyes gaze out at them as his mouth formed a smile, right as jets of flame poured out of the weapons. Both Desolas and Adaaya leapt to the sides and ran down opposite walls toward the Batarian, forcing him to move his arms to the side. As soon as his arms were almost parallel with the walls both of them leapt over the gouts of flame. Desolas's blades slicing through the Batarians arms and the suit around them, while Adaaya dropped a heel on and through his head into the torso of the machine before kicking it off her foot into the centre of the room. It sparked a bit then began smoking, but otherwise did nothing.

"So, what was that?" Adaaya asked in confusion as she pointed to the wreck.

"The biggest suit of armour I have ever seen. That was more like a mechanized power suit than body armour, but the Council has tried making power suit and mechanized weapons for centuries without success. How did the Batarians manage it?"

"Well, you'd probably figure it out before I did. But it's probably somewhere in this facility, right? Massive underground facility underneath their capitol seems like a perfectly cliché place to do such research!"

"Cliché?"

" . . . I'll explain later," Adaaya said as she threw the door before them open, revealing a hallway that split to their left and right. "Aw, crap."

"Do we pick one way or split up?" Desolas asked as he looked down both halls. He could not sense anything, but something felt off, like something was scratching at the back of his skull.

"We should be able to split up and meet further in. But let's both be carful about this place. something is . . .strange here."

"You feel it to then?"

"Yes. I'll go right and meet you further in. Call for help on the comms if you need it and I'll be there as quickly as possible."

"Same to you!" Desolas replied as the two of them went down their respective halls. As Desolas went he stowed one of his blades in its holster and pulled out his beam rifle, checking it over before turning off the safety and hearing its slow hum as it charged up and became ready to fire.

Of all the Alliance weapons that existed he liked the beams the most. A strong combination of accuracy and punch that could even break through heavy armour and machinery, it was a perfect midrange weapon. It weighed more than a Council weapon, but the Council weapon could fold up to be more space saving, while Alliance weapons could not. It was a minor trade off, but one he was fine with it considering the boost to his combat power it gave.

Silently walking down a dim hallway Desolas could hear noise ahead of him and carefully looked around a corner. In front of a large door was a pair of Batarian in armour with rifles at the ready. Both looked nervous, but as Desolas prepare to move they spoke up and their conversation caught his attention.

"I don't like this. Kar'shan is under siege and we're sitting guarding a mad scientist and his toys!"

"I agree. Have you seen those people he wires into those suits? it's like their eyes have no life in them. And don't get me started on that other project!"

"You mean the shock troop one with those disgustingly mutilated labor salves?"

"That's the one; they don't even look like people anymore once they go through that. And they just stand around, never doing anything!"

"I think that old wreck is the worst part though. How'd they figure out all these weapons and technologies from such a piece of junk?"

"From the talk I've overheard, that piece of junk might be a derelict Prothean ship and if that's true I can understand how they'd get so much off of it."

"Yeah but . . . Ugh, I'm just dropping that. This whole place gives me the creeps. I hope my families okay. If their smart they'll use our slaves as meat shields to get away!"

"You won't find out though!" Desolas suddenly declared as he came around the corner. In that second he fired his rifle and willed his one blade forward. The one Batarian was lucky as his sword went into his skull killing him instantly. The other was not so lucky as the beam carved a hole in his chest and he fell to the ground, gasping for breaths his body could not find. "So they have an old wrecked ship somewhere that their researching, huh? Interesting," Desolas muttered as he stepped over their bodies and then tore the door they were guarding off its hinges with his blades.

The room before him was best descried as something from vids. Horror vids. Along each wall of the wide room was glass cages with people in them of almost every Council species. Most looked weak and malnourished and ignored him completely, vacant eyes staring at nothing. As he walked further in though, it got worse. Prisoners began to look mutilated, some missing limbs. Other had masses of metal crudely jammed onto their bodies or replacing their limbs, and every single one of them with metal in their tissue had no life in their eyes as they stood there without even a spark of sentience.

"By the spirits, what is this place?" Desolas muttered in disgust as he walked down the long room, finally seeing a door near the back beside some kind of sub room.

"This is progress, the future of the glorious Batarian people!" A Batarian stated as he came out of the side room. He was wearing light armour with a long dark brown robe covered in bloodstains over top of it. A scar passed over one of his four eyes, and he looked old for a Batarian, very old. "And I will not let you stop it!"

"Why, this is disgusting! How can you call this progress?" Desolas yelled as he pointed his beam rifle at the Batarian. "How can you do this to your own people and other races?"

"Bah, you inferior races do not matter!" The Batarian scoffed with a wave of his hand as he looked at a nearby cell with an Asari in it and scowled. "The only ones that matter are a superior race like my own. Even you Turians are worthless for anything but research data. And through my research, I have found how to elevate the Batarian people to a point where your Council will not be an issue! We will destroy the Council and take control of the whole galaxy as its rightful rulers!"

"I think the Alliance is your main problem right now, not the Council." Desolas deadpanned with a sigh as he felt his trigger finger twitch. He really wanted to kill this Batarian, but had to wait to see if he'd let his research slip. Crazies tended to do that.

"The Alliance? What is that?" The Batarian asked as he looked at Desolas, his face filled with confusion.

"You . . . haven't been keeping up with current events then down here," Desolas said with a grin.

"Pah, I need not care of what goes on above the ground. The future of my people is here, in my hands and soon ready to release upon the galaxy! Our people shall go beyond the Krogan in strength, rival the Asari in our beauty, and force the Hierarchy to bow before our power!"

"You sound like a mad scientist from a vid. How exactly are you going to do that with an army of malnourished mutants and crack experiments?" Desolas asked as he gestured to the cells behind him.

"Ha! As if those failures could be of use! They are merely experiments that led me to my successes! Now you shall have the honour of dying by the hands of my creations! Come, my servants!" At his words a section of the wall to the right began opening up and lumbering out of it came five of the massively armored hulking Batarians, their power armour sparking as their variety of guns clicked to life. Each of the Batarians within had no life in their eyes and their mouths vacantly hung open.

"So your plan is to win with braindead Batarians in automated armour?" Desolas asked as he very slowly and carefully turned his rifle to the center of the closest abomination before he began slowly pushing power into each of his silver ingots.

"Bah, these low caste fools are in their rightful place now! Amplified by my armour and the enhancements I have given them, they are unbeatable and serve their betters as the weak should! And now they shall kill you and all other inferior races as well!"

"Yeah, not likely," Desolas said as he pulled the trigger. Immediately its beam shot out and collided with the closest abomination, for a half second nothing seam to happen, then the Batarian began to groan and the beam punched through its back into the wall. Desolas let go of the trigger, and the Batarian groaned for a second before he stopped moving. The armour and his entire torso had a fist sized hole in it with melting metal dripping off the edges, though surprisingly it did not fall over.

"What?! You hold the power of the ancient ones as well? Heresy! Only we, the superior ones, may wield the greatest of power! Kill him, kill him!" The Batarian roared in rage as he began tapping on his omnitool.

The four remaining abominations raise their guns just as every cell in the room opened up and their occupants scrambled out, pushed forward by the Batarians commands as they raced toward Desolas.

Only to be cut to pieces as he swung his body around with his beam rifled firing a constant stream of burning death. As he finished his spin the abominations opened fire, only for his ingots to slide out of their holsters and form spears as long as he was, one for each mechanical abomination. They pierced their chest or heads instantly and threw the sparking and moaning hunks aside. Some of the deranged and broken captives behind him still were alive, but his beam had struck their legs mostly, making most of them unable to do anything but crawl pointlessly.

"No! That is not possible! NOT POSSIBLE! I will not allow you to ruin my work!" The Batarian screamed as he taped his omnitool, shutting all the light in the room off as the sound of footfall clearly stated he was running.

Electricity arced off Desolas's body creating sparse but effective light, allowing him to see one door closing. He knew where the madman was going; and damn it if he wasn't going to stop him! Before that though he turned round and let electricity wash over the room, frying every console and killing the experiments that still were trying to crawl towards him.

Dashing through the halls after the scientist Desolas could hear the distant sound of accelerator fire, as well as explosions. The sound seemed to be coming from everywhere, but as he ran it sounded no closer or further away.

At least until he opened a door and came into a large underground room. The room was easily a hundred meters wide, and had numerous doors on the one wall. Barely one hundred meters from the wall however, the walls, floor and ceiling changed from metal to a solid rock tunnel that went deep into the darkness. A number of large rails were embedded into the stone and went into the darkness, and climbing onto a large flat platform was the Batarian, while between him and Desolas was a veritable army of the mechanical power suits and the mutilated test subjects. In the middle of it all was Adaaya, breaking them into pieces with her fist and feet, while her wings kept her out of each strike they tried to land on her.

"You will never stop the progress of our evolution!" The Batarian yelled as the platform began pulling away into the darkness, leaving Desolas and Adaaya alone with his machines and subjects.

"Spirits," Desolas swore as he began firing his rifle at the machines while he willed his silver into a swarm of small blades that began flitting in and out of the creatures that surrounded Adaaya.

With both of them working, the last one died barely a minute later.

"So . . . . That's . . . four hundred of those, mutilated experiments . . . . I've killed," Adaaya heave between heavy breaths as she calmed her heartbeat down. "The rooms I went through were full of them, everywhere. I only saw those power suits when I got here. They were guarding it."

"Yeah, that Batarian that ran off is the mastermind, the one running this operation. I'm sure he's gone crazy," Desolas said as his metal blades all yanked themselves out of the bodies nearby and shook the blood and oil off them before turning back into his ingots. "What worries me is this whole operation. Those power suits should not work, and those. . . . what were people, are too fast and strong for how badly malnourished they look."

"Agreed. I also found more of those strange metal objects around in some of the labs. Some of them almost looked like idols, and I saw a couple scientists seemingly worshiping them. They didn't even hear me and died easily," Adaaya stated, sounding worried as she rolled her shoulders a bit.

"That sounds. . . . worrisome," Desolas said as he looked down the cavern into the blackness. "I think something's coming."

"Yeah, probably more of those power suits," Adaaya said as she slowly let out a breath and looked to Desolas. "Let's blow through them and finish the bastard that's running this freak show!"

"Yeah we'll-," Desolas stopped as the sound of grinding metal and sparks caught his attention. A second later a whole brigade of tanks, flanked by more power suits and a throng of mutilated and desiccated slaves began appearing out of the cavern, weapons armed and aimed in their direction. "Aw, Spirits."

"That is a lot of them . . . though it's all trash!" Adaaya stated as she slammed her fist together, a surge of power pouring out of her as lines of green energy began forming across her body like angular patterns.

Desolas nodded in understanding as he slipped his rifle onto his back; it would just slow him down in this situation. Cracking his neck he opened his hands and concentrated. His ingots all came out and each formed a long thing slightly curved blade, each of them then splitting into three and reconnecting at their hilts. A dozen spinning blades were at his beck and call, only to be amplified as electricity began pouring out of his body and arcing between them like a network of power.

Both Desolas and Adaaya lunged at once, and the cavern full of armour and experiments became a hallway of fire and death. Gunfire roared, rockets flew, and everything including the walls cracked under the onslaught of power. It did not matter however, as Adaaya and Desolas tore through the horde with no visible difficulty, their speed and power more than matching, but eclipsing the forces they engaged.

"This is getting ridiculous. Just how big is this place!?" Desolas roared in annoyance as he and Adaaya flew down the cavern, the horde blow shattered and broken, the few that remained trying to take them down with to no avail.

"Not much bigger, I can see the other end now!"

Desolas looked up to see the end of the cavern and was immediately confused. It looked like the other end, a loading bay, but instead of numerous doors there was a single massive door, surrounded by automated turreted guns each gun had a large calibre anti-armour cannon, and a pair of machine guns on either side , they were clearly made to defend against any and all intruders. But magic had a nasty habit of making static defences worthless. A bolt of lightning fried their circuitry easier than an overload would, and Desolas and Adaaaya landed in front of the massive door.

"So, what do you think? Manufacturing plant? Some kind of torture chamber?" Adaaya asked with a smirk.

"I'm thinking a cross between the two. There were a few rooms I missed that could've been either, I suppose, but we've encountered too many power suits already. As it is I'm surprised they are not on the surface."

"Yeah so am I. Guess whatever's in here is important enough that, despite us invading their home world, they don't want this place discovered," Adaaya said as she looked all over the door. "Do you see a console?"

"Who needs a console?" Desolas said as his blades all came together and formed a pair of massive pikes that then jammed themselves into the door, pushing to the side and throwing the doors open and revealing a short hallway with a light filled room just past it.

"Subtle."

"Says the one who punches doors open!" Desolas countered as the two walked through the hall and into the room, only to gasp upon its contents.

The room was the size of a football field, if not far larger and was mostly made up of what appeared to be a gigantic dry-dock with a single massive door on one side that looked to be barred and welded shut. Across from the welded door was some kind of room that jutted out of the wall, and just ahead of Adaaya and Desolas was the Batarian scientist, kneeling before the ship that sat in the dry-dock.

If it could be called a ship.

Sitting in dry-dock was a giant mass of dark blue metal. Its main bulk was easily the size of a cruiser with a strange spire like piece coming up from one end, while dozens of limb-like chunks of metal sat scattered around it on the ground. There were no light, no visible engines that they could see, and no weapons or shapes that indicated it had weapons or even a bridge.

But somehow, it felt wrong to be near.

"We've spent years researching this thing, years spent pulling information, and the gifts of the ancients from this beautiful thing," The scientist said as she got up from his knees and turned to Adaaya and Desolas. "weapons that the Council cannot reproduce, technology generations ahead of its time. I will not let you freaks with impossible abilities stop this!"

The Batarian pulled out a pistol, but Desolas was faster and shot a bolt of lightning at the Batarian, striking his chest with it dead centre. The scientist staggered a bit and took a step back as the life drained from his eyes. He fell backwards down into the dry-dock a second later, a dull thump singling his death.

"Well, that was easy," Adaaya said as she took a step toward the mass of metal. "So, what is this thing then? A Prothean ship? A derelict maybe?"

"Maybe a derelict, but I'm not sure it's a ship, it looks nothing like any ship I could even think of."

"Yeah, but look at ours. Unless a ship is going to operate in atmosphere, it doesn't need to be aerodynamic."

"I know, but something bout this thing feels. . . . wrong. Like those odd objects in some of those laboratories."

"Oh yeah, almost like-," Adaaya stopped as the ship itself suddenly let out a low droning sound and light began to flicker across it's body.

 **SUBMIT! SERVE! KILL!**

Desolas let out a cry as he fell to the ground clutching his head. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt, like his brain was being torn out of his skull and felt through his bones. Like his nerves were all being thrown onto a frypan. Like his entire being was slowly being ground away like a stone on a grind wheel.

He could hear the words repeating in his head like an echo. He could feel them pulsing across his being. He could feel their order; feel their demand slowly beginning to affect his body, like he was turning into a puppet.

It made him remember a short, albeit interesting class on the Philosophe about mind altering and controlling magic. And he instantly realized that while this did not feel like magic, it was similar in concept.

In the back of his mind he focused. He focused on his heart, on his past, on everything that led him to this point in his life. Then he focused on his body, how it had been when he was younger, how it had changed as he had grown. Then he focused on his inner self, his ideals and values, on what made him act how he did. He took all his focus and shifted it, shifted it to doing one thing with all his might.

And with that shift came a change.

Desoals's screams of pain changed to a roar of rage. His body stopped trembling and shifted onto his knees, and before Adaaya could even try to stand him up, he dragged his claws off his head, taking lines of plate and scale with them and threw them to the side with a scream of denial.

A roiling sphere of electricity erupted out of his body, twisting and lashing out against the ground as it tore metal from the floor and added it to the sphere. Lashes of metal and energy struck out at the mass of metal before him, carving glowing marks across its hull and eventually busting through. Then all of it stopped and the energy pulled into Desolas, only to be released out as a blast wave that not only knocked Adaaya to the ground, but even pushed the derelict mass away from him into the other side of the dry-dock with a thunderous crash.

Desolas took a couple pained breaths as he stood where he had fallen. He didn't recall standing up, but didn't really care. After a second he fell back down to his side, his body feeling more exhausted than ever before. "Are, are you okay, Adaaya?" He coughed out as he looked over to her where she lay.

A second passed before Adaaya lifted an arm and gave him a thumb up. A second later her legs kicked up and she leapt up onto her feet from her back in one smooth motion, rubbing her shoulders as she walked over. "Ow, that actually hurt. You okay, though? What was that about?"

"I . . . I'm not sure," Desolas admitted as Adaaya offered a hand and he took it, being pulled up in a quick motion. "When that thing made noise I heard a voice in my head and was assaulted by pain. It felt like manipulation magic of some kind, but it wasn't at the same time. Did you hear it to?"

"No, all I heard was that drone, and then you screaming in pain."

"So why did-?"

"You were effected, because you were not a Youkai!" came a new voice.

Both Adaaya and Desolas turned to see a person standing in the doorway to the dry-dock and instantly paled. Yukari Yakumo. Even if neither of them had met her in person, everyone knew what she looked like, and anyone with even a fraction of power could tell her just by the feeling of her presence.

"Ah, . . . aren't you supposed to be on Earth?" Adaaya said after a second of shock, making Yukari let out a small chuckle.

"Perhaps, but I can go wherever I wish, can I not?" Yukari asked as she walked forward until she passed between Adaaya and Desolas, stepping to the edge of the dry-dock.

"Err, wel,l yeah." Adaaya answered, unsure of what else to say.

"What did you mean by what you said, if I could ask?" Desolas then spoke up.

Yukari turned her gaze to Desolas and smiled. "I cannot tell you in full about what has transpired here, not yet at least. But tell me, do you feel any different?"

Desolas opened his mouth to reply but found his voice would not come out. He did feel different. A bare moment ago he had felt painfully exhausted, but now felt like he had just finished a long pleasant rest. A strange tingly sensation covered his body, and his senses felt oddly sensitive. He finally nodded unsurely, making Yukari smile.

"This, we'll call it a thing for now, attempted to alter your mind. Not only did you resist its admittedly powerful attempt, but you resisted with so much force that the magic within you answered in the only way it could."

"Holy-, is you saying Desolas just willed himself into a Youkai?" Adaaya suddenly asked in shock.

"Yes, part way at least. When you next rest you likely will fall into a short coma as your body fully changes. While not common it is not unheard of for magicians to eventually become youkai, either to continue to pursue their studies or out of a need of some sort. This was obviously out of a need, but congratulations, Desolas Arterius, you are the first alien Youkai in existence!"

"I'm . . . not sure how I feel about that." Desolas said as he looked at his claws and flexed his fingers slightly, a small spark of electricity arcing between them without even willing it. He knew what Youkai were, but he wasn't sure what that meant for him, or for the rest of the galaxy.

"That is good. Such things you should be nervous and curious about. Taking time to understand oneself is important," Yukari stated as she turned back to the derelict machine and pulled out her fan, opening and closing it.

In a second, hundreds of her Sukima began appearing around it, many with eyes staring out of them, and before Desolas or Adaaya could say anything, chains made of eyes, tipped with daggers made of nothing flew out of each Sukima, spearing the massive chunk of metal. The Machine let out another drone louder than the last, shaking the entire underground dock. As it droned though, the Sukima all began to grow, until they began touching each other and merging together.

"Brace yourselves," Yukari said suddenly, her tone like steel, sharp and commanding.

Both Adaaya and Desolas dropped to the ground and readied themselves, and as soon as the last of the Sukima merged into a black orb around the machine, waves of power began pulsing out of it. The ball became smaller and smaller, past where the machine would be, and as it got smaller, the pulses of power became stronger and stronger until finally the ball disappeared and it released one last pulse that sent both of them backwards, despite having prepared for it.

The machine was gone and the room was quiet. Too quiet. It was like something had ceased to be on a basic scale, and Desolas instantly knew that he had just witnessed something horrifying, but did not know why or what.

Yukari let out a long, tired sigh. "There, it is done. Neither of you will speak of anything you have seen today, understood?" They both nodded as they got up. "Good. We are leaving. This entire facility must be cleansed from the planet for everyone's sakes, and I think that will give Hackett a perfect excuse to have Okuu annihilate this entire capitol in a solar flare."

"She's talking figuratively, right?" Desolas asked as Yukari formed a Sukima beside her.

"No, she isn't," Adaaya said, clearly sweating at the notion as the two of them got up off the floor.

"If both of you do not get through this Sukima in the next ten seconds I'm leaving you here!" Yukari stated impatiently, causing both Adaaya and Desolas to nearly lunge through the Sukima in a panic at how serious she sounded. After they did Yukari stepped halfway through and took a last look at the dry-dock with a smirk. "This might become a habit. It's not every day I can commit genocide so easily!"


	24. CH24 Road to Ragnarok

**Minor edit done to one word later on. painstakingly used wrong name. its fixed now.**

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 **Widow Cluster, the Citadel Presidium,** **October 9, 2142.**

"So, what is this meeting about?" Sparatus asked as he, Valern and Tevos sat in their personal meeting room in the council chambers. Often there was a pot of tea, a tray of snacks, or data pads lying around, but today it was startling bare.

"You have no doubt heard that the Alliance has declared their victory over Kar'shan?" Tevos asked calmly, though something was off about her tone, like it was on the verge of changing.

"Yes, that is why we are to speak with Ambassador Flandre tomorrow. Or has that changed?" Sparatus asked.

"No it has not," Tevos answered quickly as she spoke, but kept her gaze off of Sparatus. "However there has been a . . .situation that-.,"

"STG operatives that were operating in Batarian space sent a report that arrived earlier today," Valern interrupted quickly. "Here is the vid of what they witnessed."

Sparatus took the data pad from Valern as the video began. It showed a view of Karshan from far orbit. The Alliance fleet was easily noticeable surrounding the whole planet, but nothing seemed horribly out of place or strange. At least until a massive flash came away from the planet as an orange sphere erupted and consumed a chunk of the main Batarian continent. It sat there for many seconds before it slowly but surely died down and disappeared, leaving a glowing red circle on the landscape. "What am I looking at here?"

"A nuclear reaction, of a scale unseen of before," Valern spoke up in a worried tone. "STG estimates the blast reached upwards of three hundred gigatons and the heat produced nearly rivalled that of a small star."

"How is Kar'shan still there then?" Sparatus asked after a moment of silence.

"We are unsure. STG is looking into it, but believes that Kar'shan should no longer exist just from the power of the blast alone, not to mention the heat it produced. They have confirmed that the entire Batarian capitol and a large area around now cease to exist and are nothing more than a heated crater of glass."

"We wanted to hear your thoughts on this," Tevos than spoke up, looking extremely unwell.

Sparatus dropped the datapad onto the table and let out a low sigh. This had been happening more and more recently, Tevos and Valern having meetings without him. Did they know? No, they couldn't, they were just being rightfully paranoid over how some members of the hierarchy were acting. "I think that the Batarian Hegemony was a corrupt government that has been screwing with us for far too long and has gotten what they deserve."

"How can you say that when the Alliance just nuked a garden world!?" Tevos nearly shrieked in horror.

Sparatus looked at Tevos and suddenly wished he had eyebrows so he could raise them at her. "What makes you think the Alliance resorted to nuclear weapons?"

"I must concur," Valern spoke up right after Sparatus. "There is no reason to assume that the Alliance did this."

"The Alliance has been out to prove their power since we first encountered them!" Tevos stated matter- of-factly.

"Perhaps, but a blast of such magnitude would require a delivery system equally large. Such a system could only be carried on a ship and be dropped from a ship. It would also produce very high radiation readings, none of which were noticed in orbit. The chance of them having delivered a weapon of such magnitude is highly improbable." Valern explained quickly and perfectly.

"That blast likely took out huge numbers of their forces as well, unless there was some sort of warning." Sparatus added, inwardly surprised that Valern was taking the Alliances side in the argument.

"That blast was larger than anything any known race has ever constructed! How can you say that you do not suspect the Alliance?" Tevos countered, seeming far too excited for her own good.

"I do," Valern said simply. "A blast that powerful should have been bigger, much bigger, and should have ruined Kar'shan's atmosphere in a matter of hours. However, STG reports that radiation readings are lowering at very high rates, and that Kar'shan's atmosphere is as stable as it was before the blast."

"That's impossible!" Tevos exclaimed.

"No, not for the Alliances' magic, I'd wager," Sparatus said with a sigh.

"There is no way the Alliance is capable of controlling such destruction," Tevos said certainly.

"Yet they made a giant space laser that vaporized an entire Turian battle fleet!" Sparatus snapped back instantly.

"B-but, it's not, I mean, they cannot just. . . . . . . . . We should have stopped them! We've done something terrible!" Tevos stated, seeming on the verge of weeping.

"By the spirits, the only thing that has happened here was the inevitable. Once the public found out the true extent of the Hegemonies activities, cutting them from the Council would have been the least that was demanded!" Sparatus stated angrily.

"I have to agree. What is your issue with the situation?" Valern asked calmly, "it of course, is sad that so many lives have been lost, but –.."

"You sound like you support this madness!" Tevos said with a scowl. "Since the Alliance has appeared all they have done is made fools of us! They have ruined one of our council races and demolished their home world, and did it so fast we barely had time to try to stop them! They are ruining thousands of years' worth of peace and prosperity!"

Sparatus hung his head down to hide a sigh as he rubbed his temples. He hated this. Whenever something happened quickly the Asari went insane. They were far too focused on the long term, and it made them occasionally infuriating to deal with. There was no way he could drop the information on them like this, not until things calmed down a lot!

It was just a possibility anyway, nothing concrete or guaranteed. There would be no trouble in keeping it hidden a bit longer.

"Hmm, you may have a point. We will have to put more pressure on the Alliance, we need to see their technology and make them see the advantages of Mass effect based technology," Valern suddenly said after a couple of moments of silence. "At the very least they will be easier to handle if they used the same technology as us. And perhaps when they do we can convince them to join the Council fully, and abide by all its rules."

Sparatus let out another sigh. The Alliance would never agree to anything that was so one sided. Were they just being willfully ignorant or had they forgotten how all previous trade deal attempts had gone?

"No, I think we need to go further, otherwise the Alliance will just keep acting like they rule the galaxy when they do not!" Tevos declared suddenly, making Sparatus wish he could simply walk out of the room.

"What do you suggest then?" Sparatus asked carefully, knowing he didn't want to know the answer.

"The Alliance will soon in all likelihood conquer the Hegemony, but not the Terminus systems. They simply wouldn't be able to! If they are intent on making the Batarian people into a client race, we demand that they must join the Council as the Batarians were a council race already!"

Sparatus just stared at Tevos for a second before speaking. "You want to demand the Alliance join the council on our terms, because they won a war?"

"In a sense yes. In truth it will,-"

Sparatus tuned Tevos out. Her idea was complete lunacy, and not the kind the Alliance utilized; that he probably would be able to handle at this point! There had to be some way to stop this, otherwise what little relation they had with the Alliance would sour so badly Tevos and Valern would probably go comatose from it!

Wait, it was simple! "Before we go making assumptions, we will have to hear the Alliances response to their victory tomorrow, yes?" Sparatus suddenly said, interrupting Tevos and Valern, who seemed to be having their own little conversation.

Both of them looked at Sparatus, and Valern was the first to respond with a nod. "Yes, quite right. Cannot make assumptions. The war may have been bad for them. With luck they will require our assistance in rebuilding their forces and the Batarians."

"Or perhaps they will have realized that they need the council more than they need their secrets!" Tevos added hopefully.

Sparatus just felt like walking out of the room and leaving them both to their fantasies. "We'll have to see what Ambassador Flandre tells us tomorrow then. Let's not make assumptions until then."

"Agreed. We will find out much tomorrow after all!"

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 **Widow Cluster, the Citadel Presidium, Council chambers,** **October 10, 2142.**

The Citadel council chambers were filled to the brim. A series of comfy chairs and tables took up the lower main level where every races ambassadors and high rank officials were sitting. Above them in the balconies stood hundreds of onlookers, news crews and even corporate exec's. Unaware to those watching, a dozen council spectres are also stood around the room, some under cloak, and watched the room with neutral yet worried gazes.

Today was the day where the Alliance ambassador finally spoke of what happened on Kar'shan, on what happened with the Batarian Hegemony. It had been almost three days since news of the Alliances victory had reached council space, but the news coupled with a complete lack of other information had many people nervous and anxious. People wanted answers, and now they would get them.

The councillors stood on their podium and everyone else stood or sat at the edges of their seats, for while the meeting was supposed to start in a few sparse moments, the Alliance ambassador had yet to arrive.

Flandre Scarlet had yet to arrive, and that worried many.

"She is keeping us waiting," Tevos said quietly, her tone only heard by Valern and Sparatus.

"Yes, could be intentional or not. We will have to see," Valern replied instantly, his tone also muted so as to not worry the masses of people around them.

Sparatus let out a light sigh. Valern and especially Tevos seemed far calmer compared to the insanity they had displayed the day before, but he was admittedly worried it could resurface again. Both of them clearly did not enjoy dealing with the Alliance. In comparison, he had done research about them as soon as information databases had been exchanged. He hadn't done so to find advantages, he had done so to allow advantages to be discerned easier, to understand them. Over the years however it had become clear that if you wanted to understand the Alliance, you had to get into their heads, and that came with a price.

Like your idea of sanity and normalcy being thrown from a very high building.

Sparatus let out another sigh. Either he had gotten too use to the Alliance, or Tevos and Valern hadn't cared enough to look into them, but it was now clear to him that the schism in the hierarchy was not just limited to his people, similar schism's must be forming in the other races as well, though to a likely smaller degree.

"And depending on the information we hear, they could clear up or get worse," Sparatus muttered under his breath, causing Tevos turn to him.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking about something minor to calm my nerves," Sparatus casually lied with a wave of his hand.

"I see. . . I do hope this goes well," Tevos commented, making Sparatus want to groan.

Both Tevos and Valern were prepared to go through with their insane plan, and it made Sparatus feel a rock form in his bowels.

Suddenly the rooms noise levels increased and Sparatus looked up, instantly realizing why. Flandre, her bodyguard, Mokou, and her aide, Mei had walked into the room, and all three of them made many people take second looks. Mei and Mokou both wore black suits with dark red undershirts and edging to their outfits. Their clothing was clean, sharp and screamed business. Flandre however was not wearing a full suit. A pencil skirt came down from her waist, and over her upper torso was a dress shirt with its uppermost buttons undone, allowing a portion of skin to show through. Her hair was let down and her wings shimmered and shook in the light, while the bracelet on her wrist was a brilliant silver. Simply put, even with such a simple outfit she looked radiant, until people realized she was licking fresh blood off her lips that was not red. That made many want to lurch.

"Ambassador Scarlet, it is good of you to finally arrive!" Tevos announced loudly, causing the room to quiet down and most everyone that could to sit down.

Flandre strode to the centre of the room with a grin on her face, reckless abandon empowering each step. Her fangs poking out from between her lips made her seem even more arrogant, and by the time she stopped moving, no one had realized that Mei and Mokou had taken up positions at the sides of the room, eyeing the spectres. All eyes were on her and no one else. "Yes, but it could not be helped. Some young . . . people I met just could not understand what is going on in the galaxy and took offence to my presence!" Flandre stated as she looked to the councillors, giving a have glance at Sparatus that told him everything he needed to know.

"Very well, but you are here now so we can get underway yes?" Valern asked quickly, seeming impatient even for a Salarian.

Flandre smiled and her wings seemed to twitch a bit, causing the jewels coming off them to refract light around in a beautiful and odd spectacle. "Yes, we can. First off, shall I begin with information, or would you prefer to ask questions first?"

"You may speak first," Sparatus stated, surprising Tevos and Valern with his audacity. If she spoke first they could not try to lure her into a corner where they had the advantage! "Once you have given us the basics of what has occurred, we can speak our questions."

"Very well. Then to start, at 1321 hours on October the seventh, three days ago, was when the Batarian Homeworlds capitol was taken, and a sparse few hours later the Alliance gained control of the rest of the planet. In the days since our fleets and forces have been spreading across Hegemony territory giving the chance to surrender to other planets. Those that had refused have been put under siege and it is estimated that we have destroyed a total of one hundred and seventy three Batarian frigates, destroyers, cruiser and battleships. Hegemony territory is roughly eighty percent under Alliance control as of four hours ago, and Hackett believes that will reach one hundred within the next two days!"

Murmurs began filling the rom in an instant at Flandre's words. Most people expected the meeting was for the Alliance to request help in combat, or to ask for the council to help set up a cease fire. Such a quick victory over a races home world; no one had even conceived such an idea!

"How are Alliance and Hegemony losses, if I may ask?" Tevos spoke up; tinting her tone with a slight grief that Sparatus and Valern new was faked. It always made people look upon such information harder if someone sounded horrified or saddened by such a loss of life.

To their surprise however, Flandre smiled. "Due to a high number of Operatives who volunteered to lead the charge, our losses are far below our projected numbers, and as for the Batarians . . . . . how do you want to know the numbers?"

"Excuse me? What are you meaning?" Valerns asked curiously.

Flandre's smile turned grim and the room seemed to drop in temperature. "Do you want to hear it as a percentage, or in fractions?"

The room was as silent as a tomb. A percentage or in fractions. If the Batarian loss of life could be stated in fractions, or an exact percentage, just how had the Alliance figured it out? Had they counted each kill?

And if they could give the number in fractions, just how bad where the numbers?

Finally, Sparatus spoke up, his voice echoing across the room like the blast of a spinal mounted gun. "If you have all the numbers, then those please."

"Very well. Oh, but these numbers are just from planeside combat on Kar'shan, they do not take into account ship crews or battles outside of Kar'shan," Flandre replied as she brought up her wrist comp and tapped It a bit before speaking up again. "Using the information on the Hegemony's caste system, we gave all Batarian of low castes a chance to surrender and most took it. Any Batarian of higher classes, those that could participate in the slave trade or own slaves, were not given this choice and killed, or executed if they had surrendered. Because of this, the Batarian death count on Kar'shan was limited to 2.6357 billion, roughly twelve percent of Kar'shan's Batarian population!"

The room exploded with roars of outrage and horror. Every second person was yelling threats or insults, while the other half tied to comprehend what had happened. Until Sparatus spoke up again.

"Shouldn't those numbers be higher?" Sparatus asked, the room becoming silent again in horror at his question. 2.6 billion was not a lot in galactic population terms, but it was still an extreme loss of life all the same!

"If we count loss of slave life, the numbers rise to 3.4 billion," Flandre said with a shrug. "The loss of life was limited as almost all lower caste Batarians surrendered peacefully, or mostly peacefully while slaves were freed when they did not resist. Only the upper echelons of the Batarian caste system could use slaves, and those castes also happened to be the ones that were most behind the caste system and gained the most benefit from it. Government officials, military officers, scientists and the like, so basically, those Batarians that were the ones allowed leaving the Hegemonies sphere of influence and propaganda control." Flandre continued to explain, her tone sounding dry and filled with distaste.

"But, just the Batarian capitol would have more than that." Valern stated calmly, earning a raised brow from Flandre. "A STG ship was in the area watching the battle, they recorded this," Valern added as she brought up a video of Kar'shan, and a massive blast taking out and glassing a large are of the surface. "Would this blast not kill many more than what you have stated?"

"We'd also like to know how a blast of such magnitude happened." Tevos stated as she stared accusingly at Flandre. something that many others in the room began to do as well as the video became a bit smaller, showing the STG's scanned data of the blasts intensity, heat and all of its other pieces.

Flandre looked at the screen for a few moments, and then to everyone's surprise, let out a sigh, her expression of glee completely gone and replaced with one of sadness. It was not something anyone had ever seen on her face, and it caught everyone off guard. "I had hoped to keep that particular point until later."

"To hide your actions of nuking a planet?!" Someone from somewhere in the room called out in rage, causing many to begin voicing sentiments.

"No, to protect those who remain!" Flandre exclaimed, shocking the room out of its anger.

"What do you mean?" Tevos asked, unsure if she wanted to hear Flandre's words or not.

Flandre let out another sigh, heavier than the first. "During the invasion of Kar'shan our operatives on the ground began finding strange signals and a number of them began finding dangerous devices hidden underneath the capitol in specially designed bunkers. Nuclear missiles, thousands of them. All of them had their timers already rigged, but their silo doors had long since rusted shut. Our forces vacated the capitol, taking as many willing Batarians of low caste as possible. Our forces barely escaped the blast due to a number of operatives and magicians using magic to contain the blast. That blast likely killed many millions in the city, but we do not have exact numbers, and the deaths wrought by it were not counted in our Batarin death tallies."

"Why would you not mention this in the first place?" Sparatus asked calmly as he could when he thought about how many nuclear armaments it would take to create such a blast. He stopped when he realized he couldn't count that high without a data pad to assist him.

"To protect the Batarian people," Flandre replied to everyone's shock.

"You will need to explain your statement," Valern said immediately.

"We are only executing those related to the slave trade so that the lower castes of Batarians can rebuild their race with a more cooperative culture, one that can work with the rest of the galaxy. How would it look for their future to find out the Batarians had been stockpiling such weapons? Even if it was an old government that did it, people would look at it negatively!"

"Wait, you speak as if . . . . You are hoping to reintegrate the Batrians into the galaxy?" Tevos asked, unsure if she was right at seeing the message in Flandre's words.

The whole room became quiet once again at the idea.

"Yes. The Alliance heads have agreed that we do not know enough about the Batarian people to effectively incorporate them into the Alliance," Flandre responded calmly.

"So the Alliance is ready to join the Citadel Council formally then! Excellent, this is-,"

"No, the Alliance is still adamant that we will not join the Citadel."

The sudden joy that had filled Tevos's face drained out instantly.

"The Alliance, however, does understand that our current stance has, complicated things for ourselves as much as the Citadel Council and its members, and as such is willing to reopen some negotiations on things such as trade, and to a small extent, technology. Foremost however, we would like to hand the lower castes of the Batarian peoples, those who had been under the heel of those who think themselves superior, to you so that they may find out what they have been denied all their lives. And so that they may take your hands and become valuable members of your council once more."

Sparatus had to control himself or he would burst into laughter. The Alliance was pulling all the strings and giving the council what they wanted and needed, but also had completely denied Tevos and Valern their personal hopes. Honestly the more he dealt with the Alliance the more he liked them.

Tevos calmed herself and put on a smile. "That is excellent to hear, and unexpected. There will be much to do in the coming days, but this meeting shall still focus on the war with the Hegemony, and how the surviving Batarian people will be…handled. The situations with trade, technologies, and the situation with the Quarians and Krogan shall be dealt with at a later time, when this current situation is dealt with."

"Of course. Transferring the Batarian people to your, tender care will take time and must be done correctly," Flandre stated, the meeting becoming a back and forth debate of what will be done. Once it ended, hours had passed and it was all down in writing. The Batarians of lower castes would be allowed to rebuild their culture and people under Citadel supervision. While those surviving high caste Batarians would all be tried for war crimes for their races years of willful lawbreaking.

The masses of the Citadel considered the meeting to be one of the most successful in recent years. But not everyone was so enthused by the pace of events, or the actions of the Alliance.

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"I cannot believe the council has become so weak!" Saren Arterius yelled in frustration as he walked into the Spectre lobby.

The spectre lobby in the Presidium Tower was a little known area accessible only to spectres. A place where they could exchange information and look for information, or simply relax without having to worry about their enemies hunting them down or being overheard in their conversations.

Such as the various conversations that were going on in the lobby by those who had attended the meeting.

"You have no idea, Arterius," Tela Vasir said as she walked past him and took a seat at a group of couches near one side.

"And what do you mean by that?" Saren asked as he followed Tela and took a seat across from her. Within seconds other Spectres came into the lobby, many taking seats at specific places or forming standing groups. Those who preferred certain tactics often trusted those with similar ideals, and even the spectres had different groups within the organization.

"I mean the entire Council is full of politicians," Vasir said with a sigh as another Asari Spectre took a seat with the two of them.

"I know what you mean. They're more intent on making peace with the Alliance than showing them their place!" The second Asari stated with a sigh of exasperation.

"I agree. They're too afraid of the Alliance's magic stupidity to see that they are just screwing with everyone!" Saren exclaimed before looking at the second Asari. "I apologize, I don't believe we've been introduced, Saren Arterius, just recently inducted as a Spectre."

"Oh, I know who you are Arterius, everyone knows you. The youngest ever inducted Spectre, whose brother also betrayed the council by taking the Alliances side and disappearing into their culture," The Asari said, causing Saren to visibly grow angry. "Relax, I'm just teasing. Kylyra Atana, I'm the one who trained Vasir here."

"I see. I apologize, that failure's actions still haunt me and my family's pride," Saren admitted with a growl as he rolled his cybernetic arm and shook his head. "That meeting did not help either."

"No, it did not," Kylyra stated as she glanced around the room with a scowl. "Some like Jondum Bau or Avitus Rix seem to like the way that meeting went. I do not. It paints us as weak. The Alliance goes and does something people have wanted done for centuries, and then drops the end result on the Council to clean up like they're some kind of cleaning robot. It's pathetic."

"On that we agree," Vasir said as she grinned. "And I see another who looks to think the same. Lonar, come over here if you would!"

Saren looked around and was surprised to see that the famed Lonar Maerun, famed expert assassin of the Spectre's was Hanar with a strangely dark tint to its body. Additionally, small sections of dark blue tech armour floated around its main body, while clasps of metal were on is various tentacles, likely tools of many sorts.

"You requested this one's presence?" Lonar asked calmly as he stopped between the two couches.

"Yes, the three of us were talking about the meeting. Figured you'd like to join in." Vasir said simply with a strange smile.

Lonar looked at Vasir and Kylyra, and then turned his body to Saren. "You are the one named Saren of the Arterius. Your youth paints you as skilled. It is this ones pleasure to meet one so willing to do what must be done to uphold galactic peace."

"I . . . thank you, the pleasure is mine though," Saren replied awkwardly.

"You are confused, or perhaps wish to say something?" Lonar asked simply as his body floated down to the same level as the others, his tentacles shifting about below his body.

"I . . . I apologize, I simply did not expect to see a Hanar as a Spectre. Your people are not known for violence."

"This is true, but this one can move quickly due to careful manipulation of biotic gravity fields and manipulating this one gravity field generator. This one's natural poison is potent and the use of Omniblades together create a surprisingly dangerous combination that this one uses to great effect."

"I see, that could be quiet effective indeed. Admittedly I had forgotten that Hanar possess a poison."

"Most do."

"Getting back on topic," Vasir suddenly spoke up with a smile as she looked to Lonar. "What do you think of the meeting and how things went?"

Lonar's body shifted color in flashes for a moment before his voice recorder started, his tone deep and rumbly. "This one does not care for what has transpired. This one believes that the Alliance is manipulating the Council while they do not realize it. This one believes the Alliance cannot be trusted, but too many are beginning to trust them at their word."

"Then we four are in agreement, I believe," Kylyra said calmly, but in a hushed voice. "The Alliance is dangerous, far too dangerous. Others died trying to sneak technology from them, so working solo is clearly out. I believe we need a new tactic."

"Such as?" Saren asked carefully.

"I believe we need to begin working to create a group, an organization to combat the Alliance!"

The three other spectres's looked at Kylyra and seemed to think on it for a few seconds. Lonar spoke first after a moment of perpetual silence. "This one believes the concept may work."

"It depends on the kind of organization," Vasir stated.

"Yes, will it be just us Spectres, or other groups?"

"Other groups obviously. I'm sure we could find those willing to work against the Alliance, the few Batarians left in the Terminus and council space, the ones from the higher castes would be quite willing I'd think," Kylyra said with a smile as she leaned back on the couch. "It would be a long term idea of course, but I believe it is our best bet for combating them, as using stealth or direct approaches seem to not work."

"This one agrees, and believes that you should know a piece of information this one received earlier today, Matiarch Escelva has been found dead in her Ilium office."

"What? How did it happen? What did the Alliance do?" Vasir exclaimed in surprise.

"It is unsure," Lonar stated as an omnitool appeared on a tentacle and he tapped it a couple times, making an image appear between them. The image showed a stately office, and Matriarch Escelva's body lying against the front of the desk. Her arms and legs were mostly intact, but her torso looked like it had been blown apart down to the bone and the skin across her body had odd patches of color all over it. "Investigator information states that something blew apart from within her body. They also detected high amounts of mutation in the remaining flesh of her body and a strange energy signature, similar to Alliance magic, within her."

"Damn. . . . She's an old friend of Tevos's, isn't she?" Vasir asked quietly, getting a nod from Kylyra.

"Yes. That is a gruesome way to go, and just gives me more proof that the Alliance must be stopped!"

"I agree. The problem is, how did they find her?" Saren asked carefully. "Only a sparse few maps have been given to the Alliance, and places like Noveria and Ilium were left out intentionally. We should have gotten notice if an Alliance ship had neared Ilium as well. I doubt they would even let them land."

"This one believes this must be looked into as one of our priorities for this organization we start. What shall we refer to it as?" Lonar asked politly.

All of them were quiet for a moment before Kylyra smiled. "How about Ragnarok. It's a human word meaning the death of their world!"

"They have a word for that?" Vasir asked in surprise.

"They have a word for everything it seems," Saren said with a shake of his head. "We'll need to make a lot of preparations, especially so those like Bau and Rix do not catch on. They would get in our way."

"Agreed. There will be much to do, but once we get moving even the Alliance will not stop us!"

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Flandre, Mei and Mokou stepped into their abode on the Presidium, Mokou flash incinerating a pair of new listening devices she noticed immediately. Within seconds Flandre walked into the living room and dropped her onto a couch with a smile, while Mei and Mokou did a quick run around of the room, breaking apart another four new listening devices. The STG was probably the most annoying organization in council space. They never took a hint!

"I think that went well enough, yes?" Mei asked as she and Mokou came into the room.

Flandre smirked.

"As well as could be expected," Mokou replied as she looked to Flandre, her smirk turning to a full grin.

Then she began laughing maniacally, like a bad villain who's plan had come together perfectly. Only there would be no hero to stop her. "These people are fools!" She finally declared as she kept laughing uncontrollably.

"They certainly like to believe whatever is easiest," Mokou agreed as she sat down while Mei went into the kitchen and began fiddling with dishware.

"It's worse than that really. As soon as I brought up the idea of the Alliance allowing a bit of leniency in trade and technology, they latched onto that subject like a wasp to honey! They complete forgot about the nuclear blast on Kar'shan after that!"

"Yes, and I'm surprised they believed our cover for that," Mei stated as she came into the living room with a tray topped with cups and a teapot. "Utsuho is likely thankful as well."

"She doesn't give a damn about what cover we use," Mokou said with a wave. "She's too busy to care."

"Yeah, and Satori is probably berating her for it!" Flandre said with a giggle as she sat up on the couch and took the tea off the tray as Mei placed it on the table. "Either way I'm just happy it went well. They accepted our explanations, agreed to take the Batarians off our hands, though they still haven't said how, and even agreed to the Eden plan!"

Mokou looked worried suddenly as she let out a low sigh. "I still don't agree with that plan. The idea of an entire planet being used for cooperative research with them reeks of spies and technology thievery."

"Yes, but Yukari, Kaguya and Hackett must have a reason for it, otherwise they would not have authorized or told us to tell the council of it," Mei stated calmly.

"Yeah, they're probably going to insist on tons of security . . . . . they still haven't sent me the whole information packet on that plan either. It's going to be difficult to convince the council if the plan on our side is not finalized."

"Their probably still finalizing things for the Quarians . . . .And that's probably a reason for the Eden plan as well, as it keeps the council focused on it and not them."

"Think it will stop them from messing with Eirin anymore?" Mei asked with a small smirk. She didn't often show much emotion, but when she did she meant it.

"Oh probably not. STG will keep sending people to try to mess up her and Bakara's work, but they can deal with it. Apparently they're starting a collection of STG heads to eventually send back to them as a message. They're up to twenty two now!"

"And things like that are what remind me that Eirin can be as cruel and vindictive as Kaguya sometimes," Mokou said with a shake of her head. "It's going to be a busy few weeks."

"Handing over the Batarians, dealing with the wars fallout, dealing with Utsuho's fallout, starting the Eden plan. As long as the council keeps forgetting about the Quarians and doesn't mention the Krogan we should be fine though. . . . Probably."

"That doesn't give a lot of confidence," Mokou said as she glared at Flandre. "Some would argue you've kept this position by bull-shitting politicians and harassing the Alliances neighbors.

"Not correct, but not technically wrong either!" Flandre countered with a grin. "Either way, all of Yukari's little plans are now fully in motion, so now we just need to move ahead and see what she has planned!"

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[Nazara, report]

[The body of onslaught has stopped transmitting.]

[Reason?]

[Unknown. data does not make sense]

[Discover the reason then, and begin the preparations for the next cycle. An ascended simply disappearing does not pose an acceptable beginning.]

[Understood.]

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As I forgot it in the last chapter, another Operative Bio!

Bio – Utsuho

Name: Utsuho Reiuji (Okuu)

Race: Youkai – Yatagarasu crow.

Gender: Female

Age: unknown , over 200.

Power rank: A.

Class: 2

Class Specifics: Works best alone but can lead small groups of units, if only to act as a vanguard. Has difficulty helping those she is not fond of, as most others perish when exposed to her power, or simply cannot keep up.

Powers: Flight, Manipulation of Hellfire, Manipulation/ creation of nuclear fusion and fission reactions.

Capabilities/skills: High altitude flight, high level flight control, high level strength, fire/heat immunity, basic knowledge of death. High level intellect, with an extremely high focus on ballistic and energy based physics.

Bio: Historically a pet of Satori Komeji alongside her best friend Rin Kayenbou, Utsuho Reiuji, often nicknamed Okuu, was 'gifted' the power of the sun by Kanako, Yasaka, changing her from a regular Hell crow to a Yatagarsu crow. She then attempted to take over the world for her master Satori, an incident that was ended rather quickly by Gensokyo's primary incident stoppers.

After the fall of the border and Gensokyo's release to the rest of the world, Satori insisted that her pets learn about the world and try to better themselves, and much to most people's surprise, Utsuho did just that, and went above what people expected or thought was possible for her.

While an operative with a very high level of power at her beck and call, she is also a well-respected physicist in the Alliance R&D weapons and armour development, and her research was used in creating some of the first near-perfect Rad shielding used on Alliance ships. She does not get sent on missions very often due to the extent of fallout her power uses, but with her increased control over her abilities, is mostly capable of containing her power when on missions if it is not needed.

Mostly.


	25. CH25 - The Inititive

**Authors note: This chapter might feel a bit weird because of how I've written it. it's both preparation for far flung possibilities, and to help bridge a time jump.**

 **On the upside, the chapter after this one will be the last pre-ME1 chapter, so we'll be getting to the real fun stuff soon!**

 **Hope you like the chapter, and look forward to the next!**

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 **Kala System, Quarian colonized alliance planet Atheesha,** **January 7** **th** **, 2145.**

Rael Zorah walked down the halls of the Quarian Command Cntre with a smile on his face, though it could not be seen due to the tint of his mask. His people had a planet. His people were growing, advancing, rebuilding. And the best part was that while many older Quarians were having difficulty with the genetic modification work the Alliance was giving them, those who were younger were having great success with it! His own daughter, for the first time in her young life, had taken off her suit and played outside in a worlds clean air, and all she got was a small sniffle!

He had thought he would hate not trying to reclaim their home world, but just seeing his daughter so happy made it all worth it. The Alliance was making good on their promises, and while slightly slower than anticipated due to some unknown recessive genes that had begun popping up in the middle of the genetic work, it was still making good progress.

"Rael!"

Rael turned to see Han'Gerrel walking up to him with a wave. "Han, heading to the comms room as well?"

"It is almost time for our meeting, yes."

"I'll accompany you then," Han said with a smile as he held a hand out in front of him and was wiggling his fingers.

After a few moments Rael sighed. "What are you doing?"

"My son has a gift for magic it turns out. Though it seems I do not," he replied as he let his arm hang down. "I heard that your daughter has effectively gone suitless, yes?"

"Yes, she looked so happy and free. I think this is the best decision we have ever made!"

"I agree. Our people are finally being more than they were. Our engineers are revelling in unlocking Alliance technology, our citizens are growing and living for more than just the next day, and our children are having chances we never did. I am, however, worried about the fact that soon we will have to begin working far deeper with the rest of the Aliance, including military service."

"That was expected. And just think how much more effective our soldiers will be when they don't have to worry about suit punctures killing them."

"Yes, perhaps in the future our people will become respected again in council space."

"Those Bosh'tets are the reason we were slowly dying. The Alliance gave us a chance and is making good on it. They're even allowing us to continue with the pilgrimage as it has become part of our cultural identity."

"Yes, though it will probably be more a learning trip than one with the hopes of bringing technology back. The Alliance tech is so far ahead of council or mass effect technology its, what's the word? Comical?"

"Yes, that's the word. And yes, it is." Rael said as the pair came up to a door and walked in as soon as it opened.

The room inside was circular with a round, Alliance holocom table in the centre and five seats around it. Seated in three of the chair were the other members of the admiralty board. Daro'xen, Zaal'Koris, and Shala'Raan all looked up at them as they entered.

"It is about time the two of you arrived," Daro'xen stated impatiently as she tapped on her omnitool that glowed a faint blue color, due to the fact she had rebuilt it with Alliance tech and no Eezo. She was the most prominent user of Alliance tech of all of them, and little bits of her suit had clearly been modified with it.

"We are not late. What is the problem?" Rael asked as he and Han sat down.

"The problem is that we have numerous choices to make . . . and that the Alliance heads have sent us a message that they wish to converse." Shala replied calmly

"When?" Han asked nervously. It was honest as well. They had all met Yukari in person years ago, and that meeting still made them shiver. Someone with so much power was a terrifying thing, and the other two heads whom they met later was just as bad.

Kaguya Houraisen was highly intelligent, skilled, and worst of all, conniving. She was the head of research and science, and the way she spoke told them that she thought little of actual people's lives. She was supposedly immortal, and they had seen the vids that supposedly proved it, but it was still hard to handle.

Hackett had seemed like the most reasonable and sensible of them, and in most cases he was, taking things slow and methodically. Then the Skyllian blitz happened, and they witnessed his power as he organized a fleet larger than the whole council fleet in barely two days and had them on the enemy's doorstep less than a week later. Glassing moons and culling planets was insane, but it did the job that he promised it would, for the most part. Still, it was clear he was just as crazy as the two women he worked with.

"At some point today they wish for us to contact them, when we are ready." Shala answered calmly.

"When shall we call them then? After or before our other business?" Han asked.

"I say we do it now, hear what they want and see if it effects our other decisions," Daro suggested, sounding slightly impatient. She was always impatient when in meetings; she preferred to be in her lab, and made no attempt to hide the fact.

"I'm inclined to agree," Rale said with a nod. "Let us contact them and see what they require."

All of them nodded in agreement, and a second later Shala stood up and began tapping on the holocomm system. A few seconds later it flashed a bit, and the holograms of Yukari, Hackett and Kaguya appeared, all sitting.

"Good afternoon, Admirals. How are we today?" Yukari greeted with a small smile, fan in hand on her lap.

"We are fine, though it is the afternoon here," Zaal said simply.

"Well, that does tend to happen between planets," Kaguya said with a smile that quickly became a grin. "Straight to business, do you know why we wished to talk?"

"Officially, no. I however believe it has to do with the agreed to plans," Daro stated simply. "You wish for us to join further into the Alliance, instead of the vassal like situation we are in that allows us to rebuild on our own."

"Yes, and no," Hackett said seriously. "For now, the Quarians can still simply rebuild and integrate at a slower speed, but within the next year that will have to speed up. Right now all we require of you is an answer to a question."

"What is your opinion on the Krogan," Kaguya suddenly chirped, popping the question far faster than they could even think of what it would be.

None of the Quarians answered immediately, and simply looked at each other. Finally Shala stood up, and none of them stopped her. "If I may say so, that question really cannot be answered by us honestly."

"And why is that?" Hackett asked.

"We have had too little contact with them. For years the only contact we've had with them has been our young seeing them on pilgrimage, and those that they see are most often mercenaries or bounty hunters. Not the best image to see of a species. And just like us, council space has very set views of them, and it is hard for anyone in council space to see past that."

"I see, would you say then, that your willing to be open minded of them?" Kaguya asked next.

"Yes, I'd like to think so." Zaal, stated as he tilted his head slightly. "is this about the Alliances cultural work with them? I've heard it has only been moderately successful."

"It has both been better than hoped in some places and worse than expected in others," Kaguya said with a shrug before smiling. "Exactly as expected really. We ask because in the next few years, possibly a decade, the Krogan will likely be joining the Alliance as well. Therefore your peoples will have to get along."

"There's no need to run them in circles, Kaguya. Just tell them the real reason!" Hackett nearly growled, making the Quarians look at his hologram in surprise.

Kaguya let out a sigh and glanced out the corner of her eyes at Hackett. "You take the fun out of everything."

"We're asking them a question for a project, and you were requested to ask them. Do not insult their time, or ours."

"Ugh, fine!" Kaguya groaned as she looked back at the Quarians. "There is a second reason. There are a few Alliance people of minor note that are planning to undertake a special, long term operation, and they want both the Krogan and the Quarians onboard, before they try to bring the council races into it. They want to meet you, two of you specifically, as well as a few select Krogan within the next year."

"What is this project?" Dar asked instantly, her curiosity piqued.

"They don't even have a name for it yet, but they insist it is scientifically important, and that the council races would have absolutely no control over it, and that all included would be equals."

"Who are the two of us they specifically wish to meet?" Han asked.

"Daro'zen and Shala'Raan," Yukari said with a smirk. "They wish to meet with the two of you and a few Krogan at the same time. There is no set date yet, but they want agreement from you before they push further."

"Who do you keep referencing? Do they not have names to call them by?" Daro asked in a nearly demanding and insulted tone.

Kagiya let out a groan and disappeared from the holocom, making Yukari giggle slightly. "Do ignore her, she despises the pair of them both. The ones who wish to speak to you are old Lunarian Royalty, Watatsuki no Toyohime, and Watatsuki no Yorihime."

"Lunarian Royalty are notoriously inflexible in regards to certain subjects. Those royals who were once in power and those who lost power, seldom get along well," Hackett said with a sigh. "More accurately, Kaguya and the two of them do not get along well due to thousand year old grudges. Lunarians hold them worse than youkai do."

"Quite. You have time to decide, but at least I would like to know if the two of you are interested?" Yukari asked with a smile.

Daro and Shala looked at each other, and then Shala let out a sigh of resignation. "At the least we are both curious as to what they want to speak to us for. If this meeting happened where would it occur?"

"On Tuchunka in all likelihood," Hackett answered. "The Krogan they wish to speak to is there helping with their cultural reforms we are told."

"Very well, I am willing to go ahead with this," Daro stated quickly.

"Zen, are you sure that is reasonable?" Zaal Asked. "Tuchunka would be a death sentence for us!"

"Hardly, our immune systems are being repaired, and I myself recently managed to be without my mask for a number of hours. My body is taking to the genetic work well and I expect to no longer need my mask within a half year. I would simply keep it on in Tuchunka's atmosphere as a sane thing to do."

"It would still be very dangerous, just the radioactive dust in their atmosphere could kill us as we are! And that is to say nothing if they attack us!" Zaal Pressed.

"So we bring a retinue of guards. I'm sure that would be acceptable," Shala suggested. "I am curious as to what exactly these Lunarians want from us and the Krogan, but I am more interested in how the Korgan are managing their attempt at rebuilding. For all of our differences, our two species are very similar as well, and it would be good for both of our sakes if we began creating a relation between us, I think."

"I can tell you both will not be saying no to this," Rael said with a sigh as he looked up at the holograms. "Just the two of them?"

"For the meeting with the Watatsuki sisters, yes. In the future perhaps your people and the Krogan will have more, I will not say at this time," Yukari responded with a smirk.

"Then it seems we have our answer, as both of them seem intent on going through with it," Rael stated in a final sort of tone.

"Yes, we have," Daro agreed, sounding proud for some reason.

"Then I believe this conversation is at an end, unless of course if you have something you need to speak of?" Hackett asked neutrally.

"No, our meeting was just to deal with local issues and laws pertaining to the continuation of the pilgrimage and other cultural issues," Han explained.

"I see. Then we shall leave you to your work. We shall speak again in the future, both for the meeting with the sisters, and for the eventually merging," Yukari stated just before the holocomm cut out.

The room was silent for many minutes until Zaal'koris sighed. "Well, that was not what I expected."

"I've stopped trying to guess what to expect from those two," Rael admitted. "Shall we begin our own meeting then?"

"Yes . . .though now I feel as if it will be hard to make any serious decisions, "Han sighed as their meeting began in earnest.

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 **Aralakh System, Tuchunka,** **October 29** **th** **, 2145.**

Eirin Yagokoro stepped out of her personal room of her ship and into her laboratory. Looking over her systems, experiments, simulations and results always helped her wake up fully, and things had become rather dull of late.

Her genetics work was done. She could cure the genophage, introduce an intelligent safe alternative that would both help the Krogan grow as a people, and keep the council from going insane on them. The only problem was that Bakara had still yet to unify the Krogan. She was making good progress, but it was still slower than Eirin had hoped it would be.

"Let us go! You cannot do this to us!"

"And of course, then there is the other issue," Eirin muttered to herself as she left her lab and entered what had at one point been a small kitchen that had recently been repurposed into a makeshift Jail.

Chained to the wall in classic iron manacles were almost a dozen salarians. The manacles were enchanted, and each Salarian was also held in a magic field cell. And then to add insult to their injury, the room had layers upon layers of barriers, both magic and technological.

Just a few days prior, out of curiosity more than anything, Eirin had gone to look into the Salarian made shroud facility. It was impressive enough, but she noticed many discrepancies in its design that would decrease its efficiency, and it was a far cry from Alliance terraforming technology. Of course finding a group of STG scientists preforming some form of study in its halls on the Krogan genome had piqued her interest. And of course, as soon as she tried to speak to them they had either tried to flee, or had attacked her. Hence why there was only just under a dozen, and not around three dozen. She couldn't just let them report back alive until she knew what they were doing after all.

"Are you listening? Release us! You cannot keep us here, Human!" Another Salarian declared, making Eirin look at his beaten, but still whole form. She conjured her bow into her hand, pulled back the string and let an arrow fly through the room, putting a thumb sized hole in his lower abdomen before getting rid of her bow.

"I can hear you, lizard. And as I said before, I am a Lunarian, not a human."

"That doesn't matter! You are attacking STG members! Release us and there may be some mercy toward your misguided actions!" Another declared angrily.

Eirin let out an agitated sigh and stepped further into the room, taking a seat on a chair near the door she had left there as she snatched one of the Salarians datapads off the floor. She had brought them into the room as a way to agitate the Salarians, and it had worked to an extent, but they were so damned sure of their encryption it made it useless to agitate them with just the datapads. She needed to actually break into them to get any reaction from them, and had done so a few times already.

Looking at the datapad for a second she suddenly slammed it against her knee, breaking it in half in one motion before looking up at the assorted Salarians. "Augmenting, improving, destroying. It's all your people know how to do, isn't it?"

"What are you speaking of? We are simple scientists," one stated innocently. It made Eirin feel disgusted.

"You know what I am talking about. The Luna damned Genophage! Here you are, looking into ways to increase its severity? After spending decades, centuries even, watching it slowly bleed the Krogan species!"

"The Krogan are gaining a resistance to it, they cannot be allowed to. we are simply keeping council space safe as it should be!" one stated, sounding like he believed every word.

Eirin pulled her bow out and shot him in the foot, severing it completely off with an arrow that disappeared as quickly as it had formed by the bowstring. "Every single one of you. Every member of your Luna damned species thinks it's so damn right all the time. You are so damn arrogant, and trust me, I know arrogance! You barely even understand the effects of your work, yet you push yourselves into it without a second thought. Well listen up, because I've finished the Alliances answer to your genophage, and it will be what finally helps the Krogan truly return to being a people that can respect themselves!"

Almost every Salarain gawked in horror and began ranting on about how it was a bad idea, about how it couldn't be done, about how the Krogan were not worth trying to help. All but one of them.

Eirin got up and walked across the room, stopping in front of the one Salarian that was not yelling or out crying against her work. As she stood there the yelling quieted down, until it was only a dull roar, allowing her to speak. "You look as if you wish to ask a question instead of simply yelling and stating how wrong you think I am. Speak."

"Am curious as to what your answer to the Genophage is and why you believe that history is wrong and that the Krogan have a chance. There is little historical proof that would state that they can be a proper part of galactic society." the Salarian answered quickly, sounding like he was close to jumbling his sentences together more than most Salarians did already.

Eirin smirked. "It seems that you are more interested in my work than your own current predicament."

"Many have tried various ways of escae, all have failed, see little chance at escape at current moment, no reason to panic like Vorcha or rage about like a Krogan," The Salarain said, others in the room suddenly quieting down and shutting up in embarrassment.

Eirin looked at him and tilted her head a bit. All Salarians looked the same to her, but this one was missing one of his horns, making him at least vaguely different looking. "What is your name, Salarian?"

"Mordin Solus," the Salarian replied, his tone calm, while his eyes seemed to dart all over. Eirin knew the look however, it was not frantic nerves, but curious desire that was driving him to look her over, to look over her and everything about her he could see.

Eirin compared some options in her head for a second and smiled as she stepped closer to Mordin and raised a hand. Every Salarian in the room except Mordin flinched as she did, but she simply flicked a piece of the manacle holding him in the air, dropping him to the ground. The majority of the restraints on him were gone, but the heavy manacles were not, and a small blue ring flashed on all the manacles every few seconds. Eirin looked at him for a second before turning and walking to the door. "Come with me."

Mordin nodded painfully as he struggled to get up. He had taken a few hard hits when Eirin had captured them, and the Salarian body while lithe, was not nearly as durable as other races due to the lessened presence of bone in their body. Cartilage made them light and flexible, but it was not built to take hard knocks.

Following the Lunarian woman out of the room, to the whispered commands of his kin, he began glancing around. It had been clear from their incarceration that the ship was advanced, but simply walking through it was awe inspiring. He had heard that Alliance technology was different, had been toldt hat it was incompatible with Council tech, but the more he saw the more he wanted to know about it. He wanted to know how it worked, wanted to see what could be used, wanted to discover how it could be used for the better of all!

"If you so much as touch a single plate on the wall I'm cutting your entire arm off," Eirin suddenly said as they came into what looked to be a laboratory. "And it goes without saying, but if you as much as try to memorize a piece of my Genophage answer I may cut out your tongue and all of your fingers!"

"understood, am curious as to why am here, however." Mordin replied.

"Because while your fellows state their reason for your action of upgrading, altering, or whatever it is you people are trying to do to the Genophage, and the Krogan, I am hoping that one who is more of a scientist, has differing reasoning. And even if you don't I can still get answers out of you."

"And what makes you think I would give you such answers. STG protocol is clear about how to act in such a situation," Mordin asked.

"Trust me, I have killed enough STG whelps that I am quite confident in my ability to force information out of your little skulls," Eirin said as she turned to Mordin with a soft smile that made him suddenly feel very uncomfortable. It was a rumor among STG of what had happened to those who disappeared around Tuchunkia, but no one had any proof of anything thus far.

"You speak of torture."

"And much worse than torture. For those who came to this planet solely to kill the Krogan shaman, a woman I will add, who is only trying to rebuild the Krogan people culture and values so that they have something to live for, it is perfectly fitting!"

"The council would hardly agree."

"The council likely is behind the STG tying to assassinate a woman trying to build a future for her people. And I'm assuming till I know otherwise they are also behind your operation here as well."

"I can assure you then that we are not. This operation was planned and executed by STG only. The council does not know that the Krogan were becoming resistant to the Genophage."

"And considering the effect of Kaguya's old rant, I would think they would be against such an action as this. Or at least I hope they would," Eirin said with a sigh. "Why do you think the Genophage is necessary? Are there reasons besides the usual drivel?"

"History proves that-"

"I said besides the usual drivel," Eirin interrupted with a sigh. "Different question then. Why do you believe that the Krogan do not deserve a second chance?"

Mordin was silent for a moment. "Is this room bugged? Do the others hear what we say?"

"No."

Mordin seemed to relax a bit. "All people deserve a second chance, and the more I have worked on this project the more I have felt. . . something, scratching at my horn. I remember seeing the vids of your leader's statements on the genophage, and I look at the data and see nothing but when I look at the few subjects, or at the projected effects, it worsens."

"That would be guilt," Eirin answered knowingly.

"How are you so sure?"

"Because, I am one of the guiltiest people in the Alliance for creating something that should never have been created," Eirin said with a sigh before she tapped a keyboard on a desk behind her, bringing up a hologram of various DNA, RNA, and other forms of genetic information. "This is the Alliances answer to the Genophage. But it requires one other thing. Do you know what that is?"

Mordin looked at the sequences for many moments, his mind picking them apart and figuring out what each was for, where the modifications were and what they would do. His mouth began to gape halfway through, and by the time he understood what was before him his eyes were wide. "These are genetic modifications across their entire spectrum! Longer breeding and gestation, longer initial growth period, slightly lessened blood rage effect, complete removal of the Genophage. How?"

"Lunarian medicine." Eirin answered with smirk. "Magic, medicine, a small number of nanites, the normal."

"Nanotech is illegal under Citadel law! As is such a major genetic manipulation!" Mordin exclaimed.

"You act like I should care, and like Citadel law matters here," Eirin said with a grin, before her expression turned to callous stone. "The Krogan are not a Council race, and have not been since your government put them on the path to extinction."

"But Council law clearly states-"

"Council law does not matter to those who are not part of your council. The only reason you think you have command over the Krogan is that the council enforces the DMZ."

" . . . . . what is the thing you are missing then?" Mordin asked, going back to Eirin's other question.

Eirin smiled. "Culture. The thing the Krogan lost when serving as your councils hunting dogs."

"What do you mean?" Mordin asked in curiosity.

"Tell me, have you ever been on Tuchunka before this operation of yours?"

"No."

"A pity. I have been here for many years now working on my cure. But I have not been working solely on it. This world is a barren one, true, but if you look at the right places you can see the past. I have wandered this world for the sheer pleasure of it, and have seen what used to be. The ruins of ancient cities dot the landscape, underground tunnels lead to vast place of old and still solid beauty, and in many of these places the world recovers, despite the Councils intentions. The Krogan once had a strong culture, they once had nations and divisions, and squabbles and violence and beauty and recreation and lore and peace!"

"The Krogan have never had peace, they have only squabbled amongst themselves. They are a warlike people, and violence is all they know!"

"Your meaning of peace is different than our own. The Krogan are very similar to the Alliance. If you looked at Human, Lunarian and even Youkai history, all of our races have fought and squabbled with the other. Both the humans and Lunarians have even had global wars, that could have easily ended in nuclear war, or worse. The only difference is that because of the world they grew on, the Krogan take on violence was slightly more forceful, which is what led to their own nuclear war."

"A war that nearly destroyed their planet."

"Yes, but even after that war, they rebuilt, and still had part of their culture. That ended when your people uplifted them. You turned them into attack dogs that knew only war. And yet you were surprised when they rebelled against your wills. If the Krogan culture is rebuilt, if their people gain something to fight for, a future to strive toward, then my cure will be complete and may be released to them. For only then will their people be able to truly grow as a race again."

"Many Asari maidens have said the same in the past and have gotten nowhere, or killed."

"The Asari are dreamers incapable of thinking in both the short and long. They tried to change the Krogan themselves, instead of giving them the choice, and the chance, to do it themselves. That is what a people needs if they will rebuild themselves. They cannot have others simply give them a new life or purpose. You can assist them of course, but if you just give something to someone without them working for it, they will expect more until you cannot give them what they expect."

" . . You speak as if you have firsthand knowledge," Mordin said after a few seconds of silence.

Eirin smirked. "Lunarian history goes a long way back. A very long way back. We've made mistake, and I have made some of the worst. "

" . . Then, do you believe the Krogan can regain their own culture?"

"Yes, I do. Would you like to see?" Eirin asked with a smile.

"You have made it clear you do not trust Salarians, so why ask me this? Attempt to gain trust? No, wish to show superiority, possible-"

"Please stop. I wish to show you what they have managed, and I wish to see how you react to it. A scientist like you could be of use to me, or perhaps more a use to himself and the galaxy as a whole. I wish to see which it is."

"Very well. I am curious to see what you are so proud of. Might I be released or is that impossible at this time?"

Eirin's response was instantaneous. "Impossible until I see your reactions at the very least."

"Understood, however looking over a datapad will be difficult with my hands bound."

"You won't need a datapad, as I'm taking you outside!" Eirin said as she stood up and smiled. "come along, if you're lucky I may let you listen in on a very interesting conversation that will be happening in a while. So come along."

Mordin nodded as he followed Eirin out of the room and down the halls until they left her ship, the beating sun of Tuchunka bearing down on them. Mordin immediately noticed that the ship was perched upon a cliff face and that a metal stairway came from the edge of the cliff and went down out of sight, until Eirin led him to the cliffs edge.

Below was a sprawling city of stone, bigger than any village or hovel that Mordin had ever heard of the Krogan ever building since before the genophage. He could see Krogan walking all over, and surprisingly the buildings all looked in good repair, and he could not see anything overly violent. Unless he counted the large number of turrets right at the cities far entrance.

"Impressive, but this small place could hardly hold all Krogan."

"It is not meant to," Eirin said with a grin. "This is the first city built upon new ideals, and has been extremely successful. Bakara is now working on forming other cities under similar principles, to help expand the rebirth of Krogan culture."

"This Bakara is a Krogan then?"

"A female Krogan Shaman, yes," Eirin said, noting that Mordin flinched a bit when she specified that Bakara was female. They were the ones that had the most of a grudge against the Salarians and Turians after all, even more than the men did. "Follow me, we're heading to a meeting, one that will boggle your mind!"

Mordin nodded nervously as Eirin led him down the long stairway down from the cliff. By the time they were in the city itself he was feeling tired, and it was made worse by the glares every Krogan around gave him. Surprisingly though none attacked or even aimed weapons at him, and every Krogan that neared them bowed to Eirin as she passed. It seemed she was highly respected, even among the Krogan, who only respected strength.

Stores sold everything from machine parts and clothing to weapons and simple farming equipment, and Mordin even could see some plots of land between building that looked like gardens. Krogan gardening! The idea forced him to look again in disbelief.

Eventually they reached the city's guarded entrance, and Mordin noticed what appeared to be a number of Krogan that were waiting for Eirin. One was clearly a battle master who looked old enough to have been of the rebellion, while the other two appeared to be women, one full gown, and one that was close but not quite there yet.

"Ah, I was worried you would not be making it." The older female stated a she turned to Eirin.

"Worry not, I was simply acquiring something," Eirin replied as she gestured to Mordin.

"Who's the Salarian?" the big Krogan said with a growl.

"A little fly I discovered buzzing around. He's harmless so you need not worry about him. I'm hoping to use him as a little birdy to slowly inform the Council of things, without officially telling them."

"So payback for what they've been doing to us?" The young Krogan female asked.

"Perhaps. Let's head out, our guests should be arriving soon, yes?"

"So you say," Bakara said with a sigh. "I am curious as to what this is about."

"I'm sure you are, so let us depart. We don't want to keep our guests waiting!"

After an hour long tomkah ride that left Mordin feeling very nervous, they stopped and got out, appearing to be in the middle of nowhere, with no building, or sign of life in sight aside from an Alliance shuttle that was sitting a dozen or so meters away from them. The shuttle opened up as soon as Eirin and the three Krogan got out and neared it, and much to Mordins surprise, it was not Humans or Lunarian or youkai that got out.

But Quarians!

The three Quarians appeared to be comprised of two females and one male if the shape of their suits was any indicator. The male was carrying a strange object in his hands that, after a fem omen of looking at it, Mordin realized was an Alliance laser rifle! He had heard that the Alliance had adopted the Quarians, but he had thought it was just a scam or some kind of ruse to make the galaxy think good of them, or to stop looking for the Quarians.

It seemed they had indeed accepted the Quarians into the Alliance, and the more he looked the more he noticed bit of technology in their suits that was clearly newly made and powered by Alliance tech, not scraps and old refurbished technology.

The two groups stood there, looking uneasily at the other, until the young Krogan girl took a few steps forward and spoke up. "It seems the Lunarians wishing to meet us have yet to arrive, but there no need to be uncivil. My name is Nakmor Kesh."

The other two Krogan stepped forward, the old one more resistively, "I am Shaman Bakara, and this is Nakmor Drack.

"G-greetings," one of the female Qurians spoke up. "I am Admiral Shaala'Raan, this is Admiral Daro'Zen, and our bodyguard, Captain Kal'Reegar."

"So, I don't suppose you have been told why we are here?" Bakara asked calmly.

"No, we have been not. The Alliance was rather intent on not sharing that piece of information," Daro stated casually as she looked to Bakara. "We have heard you have had success in rebuilding our people, is that true?"

"Yes, to an extent. I hope to spread the success to the rest of my people, as once it is done, our agreement with the Alliance will be complete, and we will be free from the Geneophage and its disgusting effects."

"Yes, I know of what the effects are supposed to be," Shaala suddenly spoke up. "The idea is disgusting, and the Krogan have my respect for dealing with it as long as they have."

"So you say. I'm wondering exactly why you are here in the first place, and what one of your flimsy soldiers is here for," Drak said with a cackle.

Reegar took a step forward. "Would you care to prove that statement?"

Mordins mouth fell open in shock. It was well know that due to the Qurians need for their sterile suit environment that a wound, even a nick, could prove fatal. They were unparalleled when it came to ship boarding tactics from years of defending against Batarians slavers, but to fight a Krogan would be suicide!

Drak grinned. "Oh? The suit rat has a quad, eh?"

Reegars shoulder shook slightly. "That term will soon be meaningless," He said as he dropped his rifle to the ground and began walking toward Drack, rolling his shoulders with anticipation.

"I've seen your kind fall over like cards, Quarian, your meat, you spoil!" Drack stated as he dropped his gun and began slowly walking toward Reegar.

"Perhaps before. But not now!" Reegar stated as the pair stopped in the middle the area between the groups, barley a meter from each other.

"Care to prove it?"

"I asked you first."

For a moment neither of them moved, then Drack swung his head forward, the well-known Krogan headbutt. Mordin expected the Quarian to get knocked onto his back, but instead he took a step back to avoid the Krogans attack, grabbed his head plate with his hands, then pulled Drak's head down and swung his knee up. Drak reeled backwards from the blow but quickly steadied himself and grinned, just in time for the Quarian to punch him in the face, to little effect.

Throwing a punch back, Dracks strike hit the Quarian right in the side, but instead of sending him backwards in pain, the Quarian skirted to the side as if the blow had done nothing, and then struck Dracks arm with a kick.

His response was to attack with his other arm, but was visible surprised when the Quarian flipped backwards out of the way, his feet catching Drack in the chin and staggering him back a few feet.

Both of them stood seemingly ready to continue, until Drack smiled and stood normally. "Not bad Quarian, I didn't think your kind had the ability to move like that!"

"We didn't, not until we could ditch some of the now useless tech in our suits, but thank you for the compliment." Reegar replied.

"You earned it. I haven't seen anyone move that quickly in a while. With weapons in hand, you could be quite dangerous with more experience."

"Hence why we wanted to speak to both of you!" came a new voice as a pair of Lunarian women suddenly appeared off to the side. Both wore formal suits with small amounts of personalization on them, primarily on the buckles, but what was strange was their similar looks but differing hair colors. Ones was a light blue in color and tied up into a ponytail, while the others was bright blonde and hung down loosely. Both however held looks of power, control, and complete superiority in their eyes.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves, before we continue. I am Watatsuki no Toyohime," The blonde spoke up with a small, but genuine enough looking smile.

"And I am Watatsuki no Yorihime," The blunette added with a grin. "We are the Watatsuki sisters of Luna. Previously both Princesses of Luna, and Captains of the historic Lunar Defence Corps."

"Now simply a pair of Lunarians looking to sponsor a rather, interesting long term plan."

"And that plan requires us?" Bakara asked curiously.

"It requires none but those who wish to assist with it, "Yorihime replied quickly. "however as the Quarian peoples are, and the Krogan people will soon likely, be part of the Alliance, we both agreed it would be in our best interest to speak to a few who interest us about the project itself."

"Yes, specifically, Kesh of clan Nakmore, and Daro'zen of the Quarians, the two of you are the ones who interest us the most!"

"And why is that?" Daro'zen asked in reply.

"Because you both are intelligent, and we believe would be interested in our project, and the research that would be going into it," Toyohime stated.

"Stop speaking in riddles and tell us what you want or there's nothing more to discuss" Kesh answered with a huff. Daro'zen nodded in agreement a second later.

"Very well. Our project is basically a plan that will include the Council, if they choose to join, to send large numbers of willing people, to go to and colonize another galaxy!"

"That would be a very time consuming, and very dangerous prospect. It would take many years as well I would think," Daro'zen state, her tone sounding curious and unconcerned all at once.

"Yes, hence why we began the project about a decade ago. We have some basic concepts readied, but for such a large scale project there needs to be just as many willing people involved in it as well." Toyohime said.

"Quite. And while if you joined the project there would be some requirements, your other works would not be impeded, and you could leave the project as you see fit. We are bringing this up because we agree with the Alliance in that your two races are undervalued in the galaxy. Your aid in such a project would be immeasurable, and if you came with, your people would of course be of great use in a new galaxy." Yorihime continued.

Kesh was quiet for a moment before she looked at Drack and then at the pair of Lunarians. "I will admit that I am interested. But as it is, the Krogan are not a unified peoples as of yet. I do not think we will be joining the Alliance for years yet."

"I'm sure we could come to an arrangement, we simply wished to inform you of the project, before we inform the Council in a year or two.

"You will have time to consider if you wish to join the project, and you will quite obviously still be allowed to work on your own work if you do join it, as previously stated."

"Why don't you tell them what it is called?" Eirin suddenly spoke up, making both the Watasuki's twitch slightly. They turned their heads to her general direction, but seemed to avoid eye contact with Eirin completely.

"I suppose that would be a good idea, yes."

"We are calling it, the Andromeda Initiative!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After hours of listening in on the conversation, which jumped from the Andromeda Initiative, to cultural talks, and even to scientist conversation, Mordin was left speechless.

It was only that night when him and Eirin returned to her ship and took seats in her lab that he managed to speak.

"It seems, I have much to consider," Mordin stated.

"Yes. And before you ask I did not show you that to fully change your mind. I simply wanted to let you in on what will be going on in years to come. The Krogan will change, as will the Alliance and the whole galaxy."

"You hoped would join that initiative?"

"No, I actually was hoping you would consider stopping your mission against the Krogan, and consider doing research on Eden prime once its facilities are fully up and running. A chance to do research on Alliance tech, on fusing tech, and with less blocks than are currently in place in Citadel space would be something that interest any scientist, no?"

"it would, yes," Mordin said before looking up at Eirin, his eyes wiled with worry and curiosity. "I noticed that the two of them would not look at you, and they seemed afraid of you and no other. Why is that if I may ask?"

Eirin's expression darkened immediately. "It is because of both who, and what, I am. Because of what deeds, and what crimes I have committed," Her expression darkened ever further. "And because of what knowledge I hold of things to come."

"Of things to come? As in the future?" Mordin asked in disbelief. Sure the Alliance had interesting and surprisingly technology, but there was no way they could see the future.

"Yes, as Kaguya Hime's aid, I am privy to information few are, including events that are both fast approaching and crawling towards us as slowly as the galaxy turns. But enough of that. Let us speak and see what you shall do, I am curious as to what your plans are now that I have shown you what I have."

Mordins neutral expression turned into a smile of curious hopes and excitement, and in return Eirin smiled.


	26. CH26 - Terrafirma

**April 7** **th** **2148, Sol System, Earth. undisclosed location.**

"So, things are in motion. How long do you think we have before the real issues begin?" Hackett asked as he sat at a small table with Kaguya and Yukari. The table was full of assorted plates of snack as well as a cup of tea for each of them, though Hackett had a three litre bottle of Coors in front of him instead.

"It depends," Yukari answered simply as she took a sip of tea and continued. "Eden Prime is progrssing well, and it is quickly becoming a mecca of Alliance, and council science and culture. We'll only be able to hold off the discovery there for so long. As little as two years, to as many as seven to nine I would think."

"That gives us time to prepare at least. Not as much as we need though. We may have to inform the council after all." Kaguya said with a sigh.

"No, they would not believe us, not yet. They'll need proof, and will not believe what we have to show at this moment," Hackett said, his tone almost a growl.

"This is true. Our own shipbuilding is progressing well, but we need a way to convince them to increase their own shipbuilding past what our existence has done already." Yukari stated.

"The Turians are already doing so, despite their treaty, but they do it in secret from the rest of the council it appears," Hacket stated with a smirk. "I'm actually upset they did not have that coup that would have made them leave the council. They would be better allies in what is to come without the Asari breathing down their necks and trying to influence their laws and ideals."

"There's nothing for it, we'll just have to cope." Kaguya said with a shake of her head as she tossed a Konpeitou* into her mouth and bit into it with a crunch. "How is our counterforce going?"

"Well enough. Our special forces training continues per usual," Hackett answered.

"She meant our other counterforce," Yukari said with a smirk. "The two of them are coming along excellently. I expect both will be taking the operative exam within a few months. I'll be sure to give them ample reason to be on Eden Prime when events begin. That should allow us to make sure things progress as we hope."

"And if they do not go as planned?" Hackett asked.

Yukari shrugged. "Then we simply give them a special mission right off the bat. They both ended up being the ones to learn about it on Kar'shan, so as soon as they witness the scryed events on Eden Prime, I'm sure they will begin to connect the dots."

"Haaa, I do not like how we must skulk in the dark like this," Hacket stated sourly.

"Yes, but we have little choice, a warning and scrying can only go so far. If we begin outright telling people, it may mess up the perceived flow, and then our efforts will be for nothing," Kaguya stated as she tossed another candy in her mouth.

"Yes, yes, I know this. It does not mean I have to like it!" Hackett snapped just as a small pyramid shaped object in the tables centre began to beep.

Yukari tapped the tip of it, and a small green light lit up before she spoke up. "You need something, Flandre?"

"Aside from some seriously well aged blood and the ability to actually hunt down people that know how to fight. . . Yes, unfortunately I do," came Flandre's reply from the device. "Are the other two there with you?"

"Yes, we were just in discussion, what has occurred?"

Flandre let out a deep, exhausted sigh over the line before finally speaking. "We've hit a snag, a bad one. The council talked to me earlier, claiming an Alliance force had claimed and taken over a reactor facility on a moon owned by the Asari republics. Apparently they killed the entire workforce, and the local forces that tried to reclaim it to get answers."

"There's no way any of our forces have such orders," Hackett claimed steadfastly.

"I know. They showed me the video feed. Everyone there was human, and looked to be wearing modified Asari armour suits with a mix of laser and council weapons. Each of them had an insignia upon their armour on the left breast. Terrafirma."

"Oh fuck! We got rid of those fanatics!" Hackett nearly roared.

"Yeah, well we missed some of them, because they've popped up and are trying to make themselves known it seems," Flandre replied haughtily.

"How many of them are there?" Kaguya asked next.

"Unsure, but the councils people estimate at least three to four dozen."

"So knowing Terrafirma, there's probably at least a hundred of them in that facility," Hackett said grimly.

"Agreed. Did you tell the council anything about Terrafirma?" Yukari asked softly.

"Didn't have much of a choice really. I told them, and even said that we would send someone in to clean them up as it was our problem. Unfortunately the council is insisting that they have at least a few of their people deal with the problem as well."

"It is a facility in their space, this is not surprising," Kaguya stated as if it wasn't her problem.

"So, what is the situation then?" Yukari asked.

"We finally agreed that one spectre, and one operative would be sent to work together to clear the facility of Terrafirma," Flandre stated, sounding almost upset with the situation.

"Anything else?"

"No, but from their insinuations they'll be sending one of their best Spectre's it sounds like."

"So by that we will need to send one of our more, effective, Operatives as well," Hackett said, choosing his words carefully.

"Indeed. Flandre, did they specify a meeting point for the operative?"

"They did annoyingly. The council is loving this chain of events," Flandre said as each of their wristcomps beeped, alerting them to a message. "I've sent the coordinates."

"Thank you. Any information on the facility you can give us?"

"Yeah, the video showed those Terrafirma maniacs using the reactor release valves to flood areas with radioactive gasses as traps and to block access. They also appeared to be relatively well armed, but had no magic or biotics anywhere visible."

"As Supremacists it wouldn't fit their MO," Hacket grumbled. "What about cybernetics?"

"None that I could see in the video, but it was pretty short."

"Alright. Thank you Flandre, we'll decide who to send and have them underway within the hour," Yukari stated.

"Alright, I'll tell the council. Have fun!" Flandre stated with a giggle as the line closed.

"Have fun she says. Ugh. So, who do we send then?" Hackett asked as he tapped his wrist comp, causing the pyramid to show a rotating column of operative bio's before them.

"That is the question. If it's a reactor facility, that takes away any Human operative, we'll need a Youkai's resistance, or a Lunarian's tolerance in a place with long term radiation danger," Kaguya said, removing a portion of the bios from the columns.

"I agree, but I think we should make it a Youkai. While most Lunarian's don't have it to a severe state, their xenophobia to council races could be slight problem if the mission runs long," Hackett stated.

"As much as I want to counter your statement, I agree," Kaguya hissed as she tapped her own wristcomp, removing another portion of the bios.

"I know who we should send. The one operative who radiation means nothing to!" Yukari said with a grin as he tapped a bio, making it expand.

"Are you sure about that?" Hackett asked nervously as he looked over the Bio. "Her history is not exactly, stellar."

"Her cape is," Kaguya joked at Hackett. "She's now an intelligent scientist, and one of R&D's best as it stands for reactor and engine design. She has changed."

"She has changed a lot yes, but I believe her skills in defeating those before her, both in range and melee, and her immunity shall be the main point here, don't you agree?" Yukari asked with a small smile that irked Kaguya and Hackett to no end. Whenever she smirked like that, nothing good came of it!

"Very well, you have my vote," Kaguya said with a sigh.

Hackett let out an equal sigh and nodded. "Do it, make the call."

"Then I will," Yukari said with a smile, "Though I do wonder one thing."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I wonder how much of that facility they want to be kept in one piece."

"Terrafirma has taken it. Hopefully Flandre told the council that if Terrfirma's involved, our rules state to purge them even at cost of facilities."

"I doubt she did."

"Then the spectre is in for a rude awakening."

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 **April 8** **th** **2148, Korethea System, Planet Yatoo.**

Saren Arterius growled as he lay on a hill a kilometer from the reactor facility. Barely a kilometer behind him was a thriving city, but that could change if anything went horribly bad with this mission. Supposedly a human terrorist organization had taken it, but it wasn't enough that the Alliance problems were causing them grief, no, now he was being forced to work alongside one of their operatives who still had not deigned to show up!

"Spirits, if that damn Alliance operative doesn't show up soon I'll head in there myself, explicit Council request or not! Bad enough I'm having to work with one of them!" Saren grumbled to himself as he looked over the facility with the scope on his rifle. He could not see anyone on the outside, but the blood trailing out the doors and the few bodies that had not been recovered made it clear the area was dangerous. It needed to be cleared of the Alliance filth, even if the Alliance itself said those within were unaffiliated with them!

Finally Saren could hear the low sounds of a craft and turned around to see an Alliance shuttle soaring towards him, making an ominously small lack of noise. It set itself down a few dozen meters from him, and then seemed to shut off.

"Spirits, this is going to be the worst mission ever. At least I'll be able to paint any blame on the Alliance if this goes bad!" He muttered as he got up and walked over to it, rifle in hand while his assault rifle was sitting on his back, and his pistol on one leg.

After many minutes of waiting, the side door of the shuttle finally slid open, far wider than Saren figured it would need to, and out stepped a single person whose look made him take a step back in surprise and confusion.

The person was tall, easily as tall as he was himself, and clearly female by the shape of her hips and large chest. The woman was wearing a dark red suit that clung close to her body and had lighter red markings down the sides. Her skin was a strange light brown in color, and her dark black hair was long and hung loosely down her back. What was truly strange however were her other features. She had massively large black feathered wings coming out of her upper back. Coming down from around her neck and over the wings was some kind of cape that seemed to have a strange star like pattern across the inner face of it, and on her chest just between her collar and breasts was a jewel bigger than Sarens's own fists, glowing like a crimson eye, complete with a slit in the center that seemed to pulse with barely contained hate. Strapped to the woman right leg in a strangely open holster or case was a large brownish colored object, while her left leg was covered in ornate but heavy looking metal plating all the way up to her thigh.

Saren felt sick just looking at the Alliance women. He could see no weapons on her anywhere, and the wings on her back looked like they would be nothing but a hindrance inside of a reactor facility. The Alliance was doing their usual mockery of everything else the galaxy held dear! "So, you're the operative the Alliance sent?" Saren nearly spat, barely containing his disgust.

The woman turned her crimson eyes toward him and walked toward him, her wings making her feel easily four times larger than she actually was. "Yes, I am Operative Utsuho Reiuji. And you are?"

Saren felt himself began to feel strangely warm, as if he was standing near a heat lamp, but he barely noticed as his gaze was fixed on the woman's expression. Calm and calculating, with a fleck of expectation in her eyes. It reminded him of STG agents who were both dangerous on the field and also so mechanically inclined it was a wonder they ever left the labs. Was this woman some kind of engineer of all things? "Yes, Council Spectre, Saren Arterius," Saren answered in kind, holding his voice high and filled with pride.

The Alliance operative seemed unamused as she simply nodded and walked past him to the edge of the hill and looked down at the facility. "Have you investigated the facility already, or no?"

"I was told to await your arrival before starting my mission, despite the fact I could have finished already if I hadn't," Saren replied with venom lacing his tone.

The Alliance woman let out a chuckle, a chuckle! "I see. Do you know anything about Terrafirma?"

"The group that your people claim are terrorists. That is it."

"Pity. Last question before we begin then. How sturdy is that building? Is it allowed to be destroyed completely?"

Saren's mouth fell open at the woman's question. "It is a reactor facility that is connected to this planets grid, and there is a city barely a dozen kilometers away!"

". . . So that's a no then. Damn, would've made it easier, but I guess that's why we're being sent in instead of the place being glassed out of existence. I guess I'll just stay below thirty present output then," Utsuho said as she pulled the strange rod off her leg and placed it over her right forearm. A second later it hummed, glowed with red lines down the edges, and the end of it popped open slightly. In that same second Sarens suit systems suddenly began blaring radiation warnings. "One warning for you, stay out of my firing lines. Injuries tend to be rather final around me."

Saren was confused for a second until he brought up his omnitools scanner and his eyes went wide at the readings. He was feeling heat from the woman because she was literally releasing vast quantities of non-lethal low level radiation as pure heat energy! According to his omnitool, she had the combined radiation of numerous nuclear blasts all bottled up across her body and somehow it was not melting her, poisoning her, or killing him from just being near her!

"How are you not dying?" Saren asked darkly. He was not worried for her, far from it, he was worried for himself, for the facility he was being forced to clear with this woman. And most importantly, he was afraid of the fact that this woman, who had so much radiation in her she should be a glowing rock, was an Alliance operative. He wanted answers!

Utsuho looked at Saren like he was crazy. "Why would I be dying? C'mon, this facility won't clear itself," She said as a beat of her wings put her into the air. "Try to keep up!" She then called before she flew toward the facility, perfectly visible and without even the teeniest bit of stealth!

"GGGRRRRR, Alliance fool! She's making this operation more difficult!" Saren grumbled as he ran down the hill, making sure his optical camouflage was active so he at least would not be seen. Surprisingly no one shot at the Alliance operative despite her being in the open for many moments, and when Saren got to the facilities only entrance, found her looking over the blast doors quizzically. "Have you never seen blast doors before? They keep radiation in in case of a breach!" Saren explained with a sigh.

Utsuho was unfazed as she began tapping on the door with her knuckle, the strange rod still over her right forearm. After a few seconds she looked to Saren with a perfectly serious look. "Terafirma doesn't care about collateral damage, but they are paranoid and willing to do anything to get an advantage. Keep your suit sealed and take no prisoners, understand?"

"You do not order me around! You are only an operative, while I am a Council Spectre!" Saren snapped back, his tone laced with so much venom he may as well have become a poisonous snake.

Utsuho merely shrugged. "You're funeral then," she said as she turned to the door and kicked out her armoured leg at the door. Saren expected it to do nothing, as getting through blast doors either required security overrides or large shaped explosives. Much to his surprise, the place she kicked bent inwards almost a half foot deep. It would be impossible for the door to open now. Before he could voice his complaints however she kicked it two more times, putting more dents in the door, and then swung her right rod covered arm at the door. That strike blew the blast door inwards, right out of its rollers and hinges, flipping and bouncing off the ground as it eventual crashed inside the dark unlit room with a dull, but very loud thud. "Knock knock!" She then called out with a grin as she casually strolled in.

Saren had gaped at what had just happened. They knew hostiles were in the facility, but instead of entering silently and getting the drop on them like anyone intelligent would, she just blew their cover completely and gave away their position to probably the whole place and every terrorist inside!

"Are you coming or no?" Utsuho asked as she turned to see Saren still outside the doorway.

"Do you even understand the situation here?" Saren finally asked, not being able to believe that he was being force to work with someone so insane and clearly dim witted.

"Yes, of course I understand," Utsuho suddenly stopped mid-sentence and aimed her rod up. In that same second a beam of orange energy shot out from the rods front, heat and light wafting off from it as it burnt through the air, and collided with a person that had been at the back of the room, a Council model of accelerator rifle falling to the floor as the human let out a shout of abject pain and suffering.

Immediately Saren moved forward to look over the target lying on the floor, finding that it was a human in what looked to be repurposed Asari armour, the kind that freelancer mercenaries or security forces would wear. However, what horrified him was that from his waist, all the way up to his shoulder was cut, literally burned off, with the section of flesh and arm lying on the ground, the edge still smouldering. Even worse the human was still alive, clearly in complete shock as he grabbed at his cauterized flesh in a panic. "What in the Spirits name was that about!?" Saren barked as he picked up an accelerator rifle off the ground and sighed. It was a Phaeston assault rifle, the exact same kind that the Turians own forces used regularly. How had a supposed terrorist gotten his hands on it?

"What was what about?" Utsuho asked as she walked over and looked at the human lying on the ground. "Oh, he moved. That was supposed to go through his centre of body mass."

"What exactly is that weapon of yours!" Saren demanded to know as he stood up and pulled out his pistol, aiming down at the humans head and putting him out of his misery with a single shot.

"It's my control rod," Utsuho said simply as she walked over to a control panel beside another blast door and began tapping at it with her free arm. "I'm a Yatagarasu crow, I innately have the ability to control and manipulate nuclear fusion and fission reactions. I literally fired a condensed beam of nuclear energy at him. The heat melts what it strikes, while it also has the kinetic power from the reaction as well, which is why he was knocked backwards when I hit him."

As Saren stood up the lights in the area they were in came on, and a red light began flashing as the blast door before them slowly began to rise. "That is impossible."

"So is magic according to many of you Council types," Utsuho countered with a grin as she tapped the console a bit more, then tapped at a holographic display that appeared of her control rod. In seconds a strange musical noise began filling the room, echoing out from the facilities speakers, and in seconds words began to accompany the music.

 _(BGM – NUCLEAR FUSION by Aki - Bifurcation)_

"What are you doing?

"Playing my song through the speakers!*"

"Why?"

"Because it infuriates Terrafirma!" Utsuho laughed as the blast door fully opened and the room beyond lit up, allowing them to see dozens of terrorists all with weapons at the ready.

Saren looked for barely half a second before a single world slipped from between his mandibles. "Spirits!"

"Time to play!" Utsuho declared as she rushed forward right as very terrorist began firing at them with accelerator weapons and even the occasional small laser weapon

Saren ducked to the wall beside the door and began picking terrorist off with rifle fire, inwardly grinning at how ill trained they were. None of them were using cover or even giving others a chance to cool down their weapons as they overheated. But he also noticed Utsuho in the middle of the room. She lunged at one terrorist and swung her control rod at him, sending him flying into the air and right into a wall with so much force Saren could hear the crack as his armour, and his bones within, smashed on impact. Without skipping a beat she swung her control rod in a wide arc, a beam of hate spitting out of it with deadly precision, melting through boxes and beams and people alike. While causing Saren's suit radiation warning alerts to go off constantly.

As Saren picked terrorist off he noticed one aiming at Utsuho with a Widow anti-material accelerator rifle, and before he could train his gun on them, it fired. The shot seemed to be perfectly aimed, but just as it seemed the shot would hit Utsuho, it burned out into nothing, just before she turned and aimed her control rod at the terrorist who had fired it. He quickly ducked behind a box, realizing he would not survive getting hit by it, but Utsuho fired anyway, her beam punching through it and the man effortlessly.

Without sparing a single second she fired one last beam at the last man who tried to flee through a doorway, punching a hole clean through his chest and dropping him just beyond the door as it closed.

"Well, that was a good warmup!" Utsuho stated as she stepped on a barely alive terrorist's skull and crushed it under her armoured heel, making Saren feel slightly nauseous for a small second as he glanced around seeing that all of them were now dead.

"There shouldn't be too many more I'd say, it was a good thing they prepared for a last stand. They must have known they wouldn't be a match for a Spectre!" Saren gloated as he looked down at a terrorist's body and almost felt bad for them.

"Last stand?" Utsuho questioned before she shook her head. "No, this was just them trying to slow us down to prepare themselves. Terrafirma cares about Human supremacy, but are willing to throw their lives away if it means they win. There are likely many more of them inside this place, dozens if not upwards of a hundred."

Saren looked at Utsuho as she shrugged and began walking toward the door, smashing it to bits with her control rod.

"Are you coming or am I finishing this myself?"

Saren felt rage and anger grow within him but controlled it. By the end of the mission he was going to make the Alliance regret sending anyone, especially this one!

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"So, how did it go?" Kylyra Atana asked Saren as he sat in his small corvette that was currently sitting in orbit around the planet Yatoo.

Saren let out a slight growl. "I would like to say it went perfectly and that the Alliance will feel this insult for months, but in truth the mission was completed in neither our or their favour. Their operative, while strangely forward in tactics, used their knowledge of the terrorists to her advantage. Almost every door in the facility was destroyed, but the facility itself is in good repair and should be fully operational again within a week." Saren admitted, clearly angry.

"I'm surprised you didn't break things just to blame it on them," Kylyra stated with a soft smile, clearly amused by Saren's anger.

"I considered it, but there was too much that could go wrong in that facility if things were damaged. How goes the plan?"Saren asked, changing the subject.

"It goes about as we expected. We're getting enough allies for now, mostly Batarian military or government survivors, pirates and the like, but it will still be a while until we can strike. More than just infantry, we need ships and weapons systems, and even if we all have vast sums of credits to access from being Spectre's, it will still take time. Cruisers are not cheap."

"Cruisers will not save us when the Alliance tries to fight back," Saren countered, making Kylyra sigh.

"True, but we all agreed that there was no other option. We can acquire cruisers without too much problem, getting battleships however attracts too much attention, both from the Councils, economists, and from the Terminus. Besides, the only way we would get battleships is by having them built, or by scavenging old wrecks."

"Old wrecks cannot be considered an option, repairing and rearming them would take too long!" Saren pressed.

"Witch is why we're gathering cruisers. We've been over this," Kylyra said with a sigh through the hologram. "Are you returning to the Citadel, or going off on another mission of your own?"

"I-," Saren stopped as suddenly his omnitool began beeping from a message. It was strange; when he tried to look at the sender it said it was an unknown ID. Something impossible with his Omni tools capabilities. "I have something to look into, I'll keep everyone posted as necessary."

"Very well, we'll speak later," Kylyra said as the comms closed, leaving Saren in the quiet of his corvettes bridge.

He immediately scanned the message he received for anything extra, then opened it when nothing out of the ordinary was found.

 _Meet at this location._

 _I have the tools you require for your revenge._

 _a friend._

Saren looked at the message with interest. The coordinate that came with the message pointed to an area on the edge of the Perseus veil, on the edge of Geth territory. They hadn't been seen outside the veil since they pushed the Quarians from Rannoch, but why would anyone wish to meet in such a dangerous place?

Still, perhaps it was worth looking into. Anyone who could force an ID-less message to his personal omnitool had to have funds and skill with technology after all. And Ragnaok could always use more of both!

Codex

Konpeitou – A slightly hard starburst shaped candy from Japan. Very sweet and crunchy and comes in a multitude of colors that are not flavour specific to color.

Terrafirma – A terrorist organization that sprang up in the wake of the Alliance creation. Believing that magic is a curse, and that only Humans matter, they will use anything they have access to including bio weapons, cybernetics, and anything else to fight as long as it is not magic. They are fanatical in the belief that only human's matter and that all other races are nothing but cattle to serve humanity. They will work with other alien races, but care nothing for them.

Theme Songs – Despite many operatives disliking it, most operative identities are public knowledge and many take part in events around Alliance space. This has led many musicians, artist and the like to make art and entertainment, including figures, centred around operatives themselves. Many make music based upon operatives, their abilities and/or actions. Some operatives often choose music made by people as their theme song, and use it either as background music to annoy people, to announce their presence, or simply because they like listening to it in their spare time. Not all operatives do this however, and it should not be assume that all do.


	27. CH27 beginning of the End

**June 7** **th** **, 2155 - Eden Prime.**

Nihlus Kyrik stepped off the merchant ship he had taken, coming out into the warm light of Eden Prime. The spaceport was built at the edge of Eden Primes largest city, and he could see many cruisers and frigates, both Alliance and Council. As a planet that was in a sense shared with the Council, many Council race corporations and groups had set up shops on Eden Prime, taking advantage of its differing laws regarding technology, and the close proximity to Alliance technology. There had yet to be any serious problems surprisingly, but there had been some close calls.

Technology was the exact reason for his current mission as well, and despite the simplicity of the mission itself, he was fully kitted out in his armour and with his weapons. There would be no chances taken, and the problems that could arise from failure would be many.

As he came off the ship and entered the spaceport itself a pair of Alliance security officers stepped up to him, hands raised. One had pointed fluffy ears, marking them as a Youkai if Nihlus had read his information correctly, while the other did not seem to have any special features. It was his first time in Alliance territory, and he had only met a few Alliance citizens in Council space in the years before he became a Spectre, but that did not mean he would not be cordial. "Yes, can I help you, officers?"

The animal person looked at Nihlus and then began tapping on his wrist comp before nodding to the human beside them who spoke up for the both of them. "No, I apologize, sir. We merely had to scan your armour to make sure it was sealed. Per protocol your armours Eezo is sealed in the unit and will not leak. We know of your objective here today, so please allow us to welcome you to Eden Prime. Are you biotic?"

"No, I am not," Nihlus answered swiftly, knowing of the Alliance disdain of biotic. He had seen its effects on magi, and vice versa, so it was understandable why they had asked.

"Very good. Please understand that while here on Eden Prime, your rank as a Spectre is considered equal to that of Operatives, not above them, and that you are not above the law here. Please enjoy your time," The officer said as he and his partner walked off, going to question other people coming into the terminal.

Nihlus stood there for a moment as he glanced around and let out a sigh. As he was in his full armour, he did stand out, but there was nothing for it. He was not about to complete his mission without being prepared, and honestly he was surprised nothing had been said about his weapons. Ignoring the fact he went to the main desk, had his information looked over by a Quarian clerk, and then left the terminal, entering the main city of Eden Prime.

The city was unlike any on Council worlds he had ever seen. Instead of towering buildings that tried to claw the skies, no building seemed larger than five stories tall. Some buildings took up numerus blocks, while others were small simple things. Storefronts sat beside research facilities, schools and even housing areas, and it was as if the city itself had no organization to it whatsoever.

" _Today marks the fifth week that the Alliance and Council have been in talks related to the Krogan situation. The Alliance has stated they wish to allow those Krogan who wish to, to join the Alliance, with the stipulation that those that join will be cured of the Genophage and must follow Alliance laws. However, many Council ambassadors, dignitaries and executives have spoken up against it, stating the Council cannot let this happen as it would bring about another Krogan rebellion , and that the Alliance is overstepping their bounds of-.."_

Nihlus sighed and shook his head as he passed by the screen that was taking about the Krogan situation. It was unrelated to his mission, and he could understand both sides' augments, but honestly the Alliances made more sense. Most Krogan now alive were paying for actions of their ancestors, just like the Quarians had. And if they could have the success they were, why should the Krogan not have a chance as well?

Nihuls shook his head again. He was getting ahead of himself. He needed to focus on his mission, for as simple as it was, it was still important.

Bringing up his omnitool Nihlus downloaded an area map and looked it over, finding that the place he needed to go was on the opposite side of the city.

He let out a sigh as he glanced around. The only vehicles he could see were large transport trucks and a raised monorail service. It was strange how little the Alliance used vehicles, but he could understand the intent. Closing his omnitool he continued to walk, heading for a monorail station.

It only took a few minutes for him to arrive at and ascend the steps into the station proper, and as he did he could hear a heated argument from nearby. A Salarian, who was dressed like a scientist, was apparently arguing with a Quarian while a group of onlookers watched as the Salarian got more agitated, the Quarian looking just tired and bored.

"Look, I don't care who you work for or whatever it is, all I did was bump you with my bag, and I apologized already, just drop it," the Quarian said.

The Salarians seemed to fume in anger. " You could have damaged my equipment! What if it is broken? Your bump could have-"

"You haven't even checked if it's damaged in the first place. Before you start trying to grill me for money, maybe you should see if you have a leg to stand on first!" The Quarian interrupted, clearly done with dealing with the Salarian.

Nihlus sighed and walked over. The tram had not arrived and he had time, so he could do the right thing. Unlike some Spectres, Nihlus liked to help people if he had the time, his missions always came first, but making places and people better was always a plus of his work, it made him feel like even the little things made the galaxy a better place. "So, what's this all about?" He asked as he came over, surprising the Salarian plenty. The Quarian looked at him and scowled, clearly knowledgeable about the history of bad blood between their species. Turians forces had always been the ones to get in the Quarians migrant fleets way of gathering resources or settling after all.

The Quarian was the first to speak, letting out a sigh. "When walking by I accidentally bumped his case, now he's all upset and keeps bring up all kinds of money and other crap. It's clear he's trying to swindle me."

"What? How dare you insinuate-," The Salarian began to say before he was interrupted by an odd siren that began blaring from speakers all across the city, creating a cacophony of ringing madness.

"What is that?" Nihlus asked nervously as his hand automatically reached for his handgun and gripped it.

"Get to safety!" The Quarian yelled at the Salarian, sending him running as she pulled a sleek Alliance handgun of some sort off her belt and began tapping a modified Omnitool as she glanced at Nihlus. "Air raid. It means that hostile forces have approached the planet, and are likely engaging the defence fleet!"

"So, pirates in all likely hood. I would have thought they'd have known better," Nihlus muttered as he noticed everyone vacating the station. "How long till the train gets here?"

"Probably won't, as soon as an air raid siren goes off they shut down for safety purposes and let everyone off so they can get to shelter. So get to shelter!"

Nihlus watched the Quarian head for the stairs and sighed as he followed. "I cannot do that, how can I get to the dig site outside of the city from here?"

The Quarian stopped halfway down the stairs and looked back up at Nihlus. "Why do you . . . . . . you're a Spectre."

"Yes, how can I get to the dig site?"

The Quarian's mood seemed to worsen in an instant as she turned and began walking away. " Find it yourself!"

"Answer my question or-" Nihlus began until the telling sound of fire echoed rom above the, pulling both of their gazes upwards. High in the sky, coming out of the clouds, was a massive ship that looked nothing like a ship at all, and more like some form of organism. It was dark purple in color, and had numerous limb like protrusion that moved about, and a massive spire that came away from its main body. Coming down alongside it were dozens of small corvettes and frigates decked out in pirate colors, many of them old Batarian ship models. Some were smoking from evident damage but many were not as they began to spread out, firing their weapon down at the colony as beams of red energy seared up and began burning holes in anything they could hit.

Then the massive multi-legged ship turned toward the space port, red beams firing down as it seemed to land, an impossible act for something with such bulk, and all hell broke loose. A blastwave sent walls of dust and smoke through the city streets, and the veritable army of ships around it began branching out, many seeming to get low to the ground, for reason that Nihlus knew could not be good.

"Spirits, just tell me where the dig site is, now!"

The Quarian turned back to Nihlus, her eyes clearly glaring at him even through her helmet, "If you haven't realized, the planet is under attack! Make yourself useful and maybe save some lives!" she declared as explosion began ripping though the city and shuttles began flying overheard.

Then before Nihlus could respond in any way, one of the shuttles flew over and came down to a grinding halt on the ground, it's engine smoking as a pair of Batarian pirates came out in full gear, aiming their weapons at Nihlus and the Quarian. Both of them fired at once, Nihlus's handgun putting a grain sized hole in one Batarians helmet, while the Quarian's pistol belched out a thumb sized ball of sparking green hate that collided with the other Batarians helmet, covering it in electricity and liquid energy that made him cry out in pain for a second before he fell to the ground.

"Look," Nihlus began as he looked back to the Quarian, who had an Omniblade coming out from their Omnitool, right beside her gun. "There's a Prothean beacon at the planets dig site, and I'm willing to bet it could be what these pirates are after. Where is the dig site!?"

The Quarian looked at Nihlus and let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, this way, follow me," She said as she immediate began running down the street.

"Just tell me how to get there," Nihlus stated as he followed behind her, surprised at her speed.

"No, you'll get lost. The back roads here are complicated due to the insistence that some of the districts be designed like Council cities. . . . Besides, I need to meet someone there anyway, so don't fall behind!"

"As if I would!" Nihlus replied with a smile, finding it comical that he was being told not to fall behind. He was a Spectre, one of the best of the best in Council space. A Quarian with a little bit of Alliance technology was not about to outshine him!

Almost an hour later as they neared the dig site just outside of the city, Nihlus was not feeling so good. The pair had rushed through the city, but as time went on more and more chaos filled the streets as pirates came down weapons blazing. Nihlus was used to short sprints of speed in his line of work, and considering a Turians build it was very acceptable. However due to the need, he had been running with the Quarian the entire time, while she barely looked winded as she ran around a corner and fired her pulse pistols, blowing a hole in a Turian pirates face.

"We're here!" The Quarian finally said a few minutes later as she stopped at the edge of a road that angled down into a valley. The valley was filled with buildings and roads that seemed to circle and dart around various pits and excavations, and while it was a valley, it was easily many kilometers across, and Nihlus could not tell how long it was.

Looking down he could also see numerous firefights happening all over, with more pirates than could be counted, and a number of corvettes hovering above, blotting the sky above the excavations as pirates came down from them in shuttles. " Well, that makes it clear what they're here for. Where is the beacon?"

"No idea, I just know it's here. Come on, my bosses should know more about it, I think," the Quarian said as she ran over to a stairway that went down and jumped on the railing, sliding down it with a strange amount of finesse.

"You killed pirates without a care, and your physique and agility are both impressive for a Quarian. Are you military despite your youth?" Nihlus asked, knowing that as Spectres went he was pretty young as well. He wasn't the youngest ever inducted, but that did not change his age, or the Quarians very young age. She seemed barely an adult, yet was keeping up with him without any noticeable effort.

"You just noticed?" She giggled as she hopped off the railing and rolled at the bottom of the stairs before raising her pulse pistol and firing at a lone Batarian pirate, annihilating his kinetic barrier and burning him before Nihlus put a round through his head, ending the torment.

It made Nihlus shiver. Alliance weaponry was powerful, lasers ignored barriers, beams cut right through armour and they were good weapons, in fact he had wanted to acquire a laser rifle while on Eden Prime. Pulse weapons though, they terrified him. The idea of melting, electrocuting and spirits knew whatever else they did to their targets was disgusting. "No, I noticed earlier, I am simply curious. Quarians never stuck me as a race that focused on combat."

"That changed when we joined the Alliance and they saved us from your Councils unneeded punishments!" The Quarian snapped back at Nihlus as they ran through the excavation area, trying to keep away from any of the major fights going on around them. "I joined the Alliance military at sixteen, and just a month ago I was requested to join the crew of an Operatives corvette. They're who I'm looking for, and should know where your beacon is.

"I see," Nihlus replied simply as he glanced around. Something was off. This whole attack on the city, the pirates and, did she say they, as in plural?

Before Nihlus could speak up though they arrived at an open area above an excavation. There were dead pirates and a couple dead Alliance forces all over, and standing in the middle of the area was a Turian in black armour that Nihlus recognized.

"Girl, don't let him see you. I'm going to talk to him," Nihlus commanded as he causally walked over to the other Turian. "Saren, what are you doing here?"

Saren turned to Nihlus, his mandibles tight with displeasure. Nihlus knew he hated the Alliance. It was why he never expected Saren to willingly go to an Alliance planet after all. But something about his expression was strange. Perhaps it was just the attack had made him tense. "My mission brought me to this spirits forsaken place," Saren answered with a sigh. " You?"

"Same. I'm on a simple mission, but I never expected such a huge attack by Terminus forces. And most of them seem far too well organized. The situation is bad," Nihlus said as he knelt down beside a pair of pirate and Alliance bodies and looked them over, only to notice something was strange about them. The pirate was full of cauterized holes, clearly a laser weapon, but the Alliance soldier, a human, had only a single wound. A hole coming out the front of his head, and a small hole in the back. He had been shot from behind by an accelerator weapon, not from the front.

"Don't worry, I've got the situation under control!" Saren said as Nihlus heard the priming of a weapon and spun around, to see Saren aiming his hand cannon at Nihlus's face.

Nihlus felt his blood run cold in an instant. The distance was too small and he was still crouched down. He would not get out of the way in time, and that hand cannon would kill him instantly, completely disregarding his shields at such a close range!

Time slowed to a crawl as he saw Saren's claw twitch to pull the trigger, and in that moment a fist came into view, slamming into Saren's torso and jerking his body to the side as the trigger was pulled. The grain sized metal bullet flew out of the hand cannon toward Nihlus, but as Saren's body jerked from the blow it caused the round to fly wide, simply grazing one Nihlus's mandible instead of burrowing into his skull.

Time returned to normal. Nihlus jerking to the side and grabbing at his mandible in pain as a crashing sound echoed out from nearby. He looked up, sure he had seen someone punch Saren, and was surprised by what he saw.

Saren was nearly twenty meters away on the ground coughing painfully as he held his head and chest, and standing in front of Nihlus was an Alliance woman. She was taller than he was, with light brown skin, like it was tanned. She was wearing what looked to be ankle length pants with sections of armour on them, along with a black shirt that left her arms uncovered. Her forearms had bandages wrapped around them with what looked like braces of some kind overtop, and she was wearing simple shoes that had sections of metal seemingly strapped across them. Her hair was a dark brown with black tips, and she had massive feathery wings of a similar coloration with red tints within sprouting out of her back around her shoulder blades. She stood there grinning and flexing her hand for a second before she looked at Nihlus and continued smiling.

"Looks like I got here just in time eh?" She said with a grin as she suddenly turned and swung her arm out, a wave of air dancing across the area and slicing a pirate in half just as he came into view. She then turned back to Nihlus with a grin. "Adaaya Nicotris Shepard, Alliance Operative! Looks like you've got some sedition in the ranks, eh Spectre?"

"That would be betrayal, actually," Nihlus growled as he stood up and looked to see that Saren was already getting up, making Adaaya whistle.

"Wow, he's sturdier than I thought, or his armour is good. That blow should have pulped his insides!" Adaaya declared as the Quarian ran up to them.

Nihlus however was more annoyed by the fact that Saren had tried to shoot him in the head! "Saren, what are you doing!?" Nihlus demanded as he began walking toward him, only for Saren to raise his gun and begin firing at him, just as a pirate shuttle dropped from the sky and hovered nearby.

"I'm just doing what needed to be done years ago, showing the Alliance their place!" Saren declared as he ran over to the shuttle, firing his pistol as he went. The shuttle door opened for him, and a pair of pirates appeared in the doorway, firing assault rifles as soon as they saw Nihlus and Adaaya.

Adaaya simply waved a hand up, creating a massive cyclone that both blocked the shots, and sent the shuttle flipping off into the air. After a few seconds the cyclone died down and dissipated, and the shuttle was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, I think that settles that for now," Adaaya said with a sigh as she turned and looked at the Quarian. "Zorah, weren't you going to head for the ship?

"I was, but a Salarian tried to con me, and then the air raid siren went off when the Spectre tried to complicate matters." Nihlus opened his mouth to speak, wanting to set the matter straight, but the Quarian continued. "So where's your other half?"

Adaaya scowled. "And what is that supposed to mean? No, never mind, there's too much to do. Head back to the ship while I go secure our cargo with our . . . associate."

The Quarian nodded and ran off, leaving Nihlus alone with Adaaya. "You're the one I was told I would meet at the dig site then?" Nihlus asked, slightly nervously. All of his missions since becoming a Spectre had been deep in council space; he had never met an Alliance operative, though he had heard many outlandish stories about them from other spectres.

And considering that one had just saved his life by punching someone over a dozen meters away, some stories began to see likely, and other didn't seem accurate enough.

"Yes, me and my partner are," Adaaya said as she cracked her neck and looked in the direction the shuttle was thrown.

"Your partner? I though operatives were like Spectres and worked alone?"

"Some do, some don't," Adaaya said as she motioned for Nihlus to follow and then began running down the length of the area back towards the main road.

"Fair. Where's your partner then?"

"We split up to find your sorry ass, so let's get moving, we have some people protecting the beacon, but if that is your Spectre buddy's target, they'll probably be badly outnumbered."

"He was the one that taught and coached me, he's one of the best Spectres the council has. I'm having trouble that he's actually betraying the Council," Nihlus admitted as they ran, the sound of something different barely audible over the omnipresent noise of combat, explosions and fire.

"He aimed a gun at your head execution style. I'd say that is pretty telling ,no?" Adaaya asked as an explosion ripped from behind a building ahead of them. "There. We go in there, and then down to the pit. If the beacons is still there, of course."

Nihlus nodded, and a few seconds later they went through the doors to find the building itself in pieces, the entire back wall destroyed as was most of that ceiling. Against the walls were a few Alliance citizens, mostly wounded as a youkai woman with long horns looked to be tending to their wounds.

Through the back wall they could see pirate shuttles flying up and down, and the sound of gunfire was omnipresent, and as they went toward it, it became clear why. The deep pit was like a screwdriver, with a long spiraling ramp that went down to the centre. To one side was a massive crane that was slowly lifting the beacon out of the pit, Saren himself at the controls, and to the other side, a veritable army of pirates at odds with the local alliance forces.

"There, we break the crane, the beacon falls and we've screwed him over!" Adaaya said as she clenched her fists and walked out into the pit area, her wings spreading wide.

"What?! That could break it! Do you have any idea how serious that would be!?" Nihlus exclaimed in horror as some nearby pirates noticed and turned toward them, firing madly with little to no accuracy, but no lack of rounds.

Adaaya's wings seemed to reflect the accelerator rounds, bouncing them backwards onto the ground as her wings shifted to guard her face as she looked at Nihlus. "Probably a lot less serious than whatever reason your old friend has for betraying your government and attacking Eden Prime! So either help stop him, or you're being put on the chopping block!"

Nihlus glared at Adaaya for a bare second before he aimed his rifle to the side and fired, putting a new eye hole in the centre of a pirates visor and dropping the flanking pirate in an instant. "You're faster, I'll be behind you." Nihlus stated as he ran past Adaaya, rifle firing in quick accurate bursts as he entered the massive warlike fray.

Adaaya simply grinned as she pushed herself into the air, focused on the crane that now almost had the beacon out of the pit, and flew straight at it with all of her power.

In the last second a wall of biotic force appeared around the cranes cockpit, so Adaaya shifted her wings and avoided her main target, Saren, and instead struck the back of the crane with her knuckle, with far more force than most people could muster. The effect was instantaneous as the entire crane shuddered, bent, and spun on its side as it ripped out of its platform and fell to the ground. It also whipped the beacon, still on the cranes tether, up out of the pit and sent it bouncing across the ground, crushing a half dozen pirates underneath it as it rolled to a stop, chips of it flying off in every direction.

Adaaya grinned as she landed on the cranes wreckage and beat her wings a few times, dispersing the cloud of dust it had kicked up. The crane may as well have been made of paper mache with what she had done to it, but to her surprise, there was no Turian stuck in the cockpit, no spectre pinned under its mass, and no Saren anywhere to be seen!

"Saren!" came Nihlus's sudden roar, drawing Adaaya's attention down to the far end of the upper pit area where the beacon had been flung. It was lying on the ground sparking ferociously, and in front of it were Saren and Nihlus, in the middle of an angry melee with nothing but their claws, feet, and bodies. Everyone else, pirate or Alliance, who had been around had been knocked down or had willingly dropped to the ground when she had hit the crane, so the fact that Saren was now all the way over there was a surprise.

Jumping into the air and beating her wings Adaaya flew over to them, intent on tearing Sarens head off herself, but was a moment too late. Just before she would have been within range, the beacon let out a pulse of energy, forcibly lifting Saren and Nihlus into the air and sending Adaaya reeling backwards as Element Zero energy rippled around her. She crashed to the ground, feeling her skin crawl with contamination sickness and looked up to see that both Saren and Nihlus looked to be in severe pain.

Then the beacon let out a final sigh of light, and ruptured, blowing itself to pieces, and blowing everyone in the pit area backwards, and taking the pit area itself with it.

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A pounding pain pulled Nihlus out from the darkness of unconsciousness, bringing a bright light and dark ceiling to his sight. With a groan he tried to sit up and get the light out of his eyes, only for pain to spike through his head and cause him to lose what little balance he had. He rolled to the side and promptly fell off the medical table, his claw catching a tray and sending medical instruments all over the floor beside him.

"And this is why I told you to move those away from the patient!" came an annoyed sounding women's voice from a direction that Nihlus's mind couldn't quiet comprehend.

"B-but I needed to-," came a yong girls voice, sounding like she was scared and worried all at once.

"If all you give is excuses instead of realizing your mistakes then you are useless to me, get out, I'll clean this up myself after I deal with the patient!"

"But-"

"GET OUT!" The older woman's voice roared, seeming to reverberate through Nihlus's body as he struggled to find the floor. It was strange, nausea and disorientation he had dealt with before, but this was nothing like anything else. "Stop trying to claw the wall, Turian. I'm going to get you up and sit you on the bed. Do not resist. I am not your enemy, I am your doctor," The woman said after a few seconds, just before Nihlus felt hands grab him by the underarm and side, then lift him in one quick motion up into the air and down onto the bed.

"Who-," Nihlus began as he tried to turn to look at the doctor in question, only for his distorted sight to make him almost slip forward off the bed, only to be caught and then laid down.

"Do not move and do not panic. I am administering a counteragent for your contamination sickness. Your disorientation should pass in a moment."

"Contamination? That sickness Alliance magicians get when contacting Biotic fields?"

"Yes, the reverse is true as well, Biotics are effected by magic as well." The doctor stated as Nihlus felt a pinch between his plates on his left arm.

Very slowly he turned his head and caught a glimpse of the women. His vision was still distorted, but she appeared as old as she sounded with wrinkled features, short white hair and a tired look in her eyes that, as his vision cleared, appeared not just tired but also powerful and wise. It was a look he had truly seen in only a sparse few Asari Matriachs. "I'm not a Biotic though."

"That blast didn't seem to care," The doctor said as she pulled a syringe out of Nihlus's arm and placed in on a table that she slid away. "You can sit up now. The worst or the distortion should have passed."

Nihlus lifted up his arms, finding them stable, then carefully sat up and turned on the bed to face the woman, who was either a human or Lunarian. "Thank you, yes, I feel much better now. What blast though?"

"You don't remember?" Adaaya said as she walked into the room while rolling her shoulders as if they were stiff. She was now wearing what appeared to be casual clothing consisting of nothing more than pants and a top that showed some of her belly but the bandages around her ankles and wrists made the whole look oddly dangerous looking, and Nihlus mentally noted to not anger her after he had seen what she had been capable of doing.

"You are supposed to be still resting!" The doctor snapped as she turned to Adaaya, causing her to stop and raise both hands.

"I'm fine, I've been cleansed and I've had a nap. Besides I still have work to do, both of us do," Adaaya said as she looked to Nihlus.

"What?" was all that Nihlus could say. He was not used to being out of the loop, yet the doctor and Adaaya seemed to know something they were not sharing. "Someone explain to me what exactly happened and what is going on!"

"Geez, say please and maybe you'll get what you want," Adaaya teased with a grin as she walked in and sat down on a nearby chair. "Do you remember your little fistfight with Saren at least?"

Nihlus nodded. "Yes, I remember that, then feeling like I was being lifted by Biotics. Then it's a jumble of noise and images, nothing else."

"Well, that adds up to your brain activity at least. I'll add that to the file," The doctor said mostly to herself as she took out a tablet and began tapping on it.

"Yeah, well, the beacon you and Saren were fighting by activated or something, you both were lifted up, then the beacon sent out a pulse of power before exploding. Sent both of you flying, and utterly devastated the whole dig site."

"What about Saren, was he caught?" Nihlus asked immediately, knowing that while the destruction of a Prothean relic was horrible, if he could at least get answers out of Saren he'd have some backup when he reported to the Council.

"Nope!" Adaaya said with a strange smile. "Almost everyone was knocked down and wounded when the beacon blew, but a few seconds later a bunch of his pals showed up in shuttles and dropped off some giant armoured suits that began shooting at everything while they pulled him into the shuttle. You and me both were in no shape to fight them, and we would have died if my partner hadn't come when he did. Slagged every one of them that didn't run away immediately like Saren did."

"Yes, but your dear partner used so much magic it infected those that already were being infected by the remaining Biotic energy from the beacon, hence why our Turian friend here had contamination sickness!" The doctor complained with a sigh, never looking away from her tablet as she did.

"He used his magic to burn away the excess Element zero particles in the air around the pit, basically saved our lives as I was kind of stuck under a beam of metal. Could have gotten out normally, but the contamination was sapping my strength pretty bad," Adaaya admitted with a shrug. "He then got us all out, and while he was doing that the pirates and that dammed Leviathan that came with them buggered off and left the system!"

"Leviathan?"

"The giant squid ship thing," Adaaya explained before chuckling. "And I just remembered that I owe him a hundred bucks now."

"What?" Nihlus asked as he looked to the doctor, who simply shrugged.

"Right, we've got a meeting now, so c'mon, Nihlus. Oh, Chakwas, have you made your decision yet? We're probably leaving within the day." Adaaya said, jumping from looking at Nihlus to the doctor as she stood up..

Chakwas let out a sigh. "Very well, Williams has been asking me as well, and I suppose I should travel a bit more. Seeing as how this has begun, I fear you'll need my steady hands as it is. I will have my personal effects on board within the hour."

"Brining that apprentice of yours?" Adaaya asked with a sly grin.

"No, she is worthless. Let her stay here and help tend to the injured, maybe then she'll understand what she is missing."

"Alright, I'll see you aboard then," Adaaya stated as she looked to Nilhus, "you coming or am I leaving you here to ferment?"

"What?"

"Oh for the love of, just follow me already!" Adaaya nearly raged as she stormed out of the room, her wings almost catching on the doorframe.

"What in the Spirits is going on?" Nihlus asked Chakwas in confusion. It was like three different conversations were happening all at once without his participation, and he had never been more confused.

"It is complicated, but from what I know and can say, the two of them have been looking forward to this in some form or another. I doubt anything bad will happen, so if you wish to know exactly what is going on then I suggest you follow her. If your body begins to feel strange later come find me."

"Um, right," Nihlus said as he got off the medical table, feeling like he was being used and toyed with. He had heard stories from some other Spectres of how Alliance forces were, but nothing he had heard had prepared him for any of this, not seeing them fight, and definitely not how they talked amongst each other. With a sigh he walked out of the room, only then realizing he was in casual Turian clothing, and found Adaaya standing there by a window.

Through the window he could see the city as well as Eden Prime's spaceport, both smoking and in ruins with scars covering buildings, the ground, and even a few hills and mountains in the distance. Spires of smoke lazily drifted upwards, and even at the great distance Nihlus could see flashing lights that were likely repair or rescue crews. The distance meant that the building they were in had to be across the spaceport from the city, but he had not seen any such thing when he had landed.

"This facilities built into the mountain side, in case you were wondering," Adaaya commented as she began walking down the hallway at a brisk pace that Nihlus had to push himself keep up with. "It's been about seventeen hours since the attack. I was out for about six hours after I blacked out, and you've been out since the beacon knocked you out."

"Has anyone contacted the Council, told them what happened so they could begin hunting for Saren?" Nihlus asked quickly as he kept pace with Adaaya, walking just a half step behind her to her left.

"They've been told the attack happened but not specifics. Those will be for when we go to the Citadel itself."

"We?"

"People have died today, a lot of them. If you thought we'd just lie down and let you deal with it yourself, you are seriously mistaken," Adaaya said as she came up to a large circular door and began tapping keys on a pad beside it. "A lot of us are wanting blood, and one person in particular has even more of a reason to go after Saren!"

At Adaaya's words the door opened and she and Nihlus stepped in, finding a large half circle room. Four people stood in front of a large open slot in the wall, where dozens if not over a hundred holograms stood, all taking part in the conversation that the four in front were a part of. The room had few lights in it, but even in the dark Nihlus could tell the shapes and accents. Three of the people with their backs to him were women, one with buns on her hair and a bandaged arm, another with long pointed ears, and yet another with wings and a large cape. The fourth person to his surprise appeared to be a Turian, but due to the darkness of the room he could tell little else about any of them.

"So the main ship itself was the one you and Adaaya saw before?" one hologram asked, though Nihlus was unable to tell any detail at the distance from it.

"That is correct. The Leviathan of Dis, the same ship Adaaya and I found under the Batarian capitol." The Turian stated surely.

"And the reason I had to glass the whole city then," The winged woman said with a sigh.

"And that adds more credence to the fact that either Kaguya or Yukari are manipulating this to some extent," a different person hologram said.

"They always are, but we don't know how much. And this time they both are being strangely quiet about it. All I got from Yukari was her saying, decide what to do yourself,"

"Yeah, but only one ship here is space worthy still because it was parked here in this places hanger and not on the tarmac," the pointed eared girl said with a growl. "I think it's pretty clear what they are trying to do."

"I agree, but as much as I want to bring him down myself, it's also true that there are others better suited to it," the Turian said with an exasperated sigh.

"True, but you're also the best due to your knowledge of what Saren could do,"

"That definitely does not mean the rest of us will sit around doing nothing though," another hologram piped in, her voice sounding strangely happy and gleeful. "If Yukari is going to try to keep us from getting involved, the best thing we can do is to get involved!"

"While I am not sure if that is a good idea, I know everyone's going to do their own thing anyway," the woman with the bandaged arm said simply, causing many of the holograms to begin laughing.

"That is true. But let's make this official," said one hologram as it became larger than the others. "I, Reimu Hakurei, as the highest ranking and leader of the Alliances operatives give everyone the go ahead to look into this attack. Additionally, I request Operatives Adaaya Shepard and Desolas Arterius to directly go to the Citadel and enlist their aid in this matter. Anyone that finds any information of particular interest should route it to them, but can still do what they wish with it! Are there any objections?" No one spoke up "Good. Then I believe that ends this summit. Good luck everyone."

A second later holograms began disappearing until there were none, then the lights in the room went on on, allowing Nihlus a better look at the four people as they turned around.

The winged woman had long black hair and was wearing what looked like a lab coat with a large red jewel hanging on her chest, or out of it. The girl with long ears had purple hair and red eyes and was wearing a military uniform, while the women with the buns on her head was wearing causal clothing. Not only was her one arm covered in bandages though, but her other wrist had a large shackle upon it. All of them had relaxed expressions, the bandaged women even seeming friendly, but all of their muscles were tense.

They were not who Nihlus was interested in however, as he was far more interested in the Turian who turned to him. He was wearing casual clothing, a sleeveless white top and grey pants that went down to his first knee's, only to then become loose drape strips. Though the draping on his pants was strange the clothing itself seemed normal, but he was not. The talons on his feet seemed larger than they should be, as did the talons on his hands as well, though it was less noticeable. His head flanges instead of pointing up, seemed to be far longer than was normal and roped down almost as if mocking Human hair, while the plates that covered his body, normally rough and textured for all Turians, looked impossibly smooth and texture-less except for odd crackling lines of bright blue that seemed to pulse across his plates. He also seemed a bit larger than most Turians, not in height, but in the size of his limbs and body, like his body had more muscle than Turians were supposed to have. He looked unlike any Turian ever before had, and somehow, from the way he stood and the strange inconsistencies from his body, Nihlus knew who he was without even a shred of doubt.

Desolas Arterius, the disowned brother of Saren, the one who helped stop the Alliance hierarchy war from escalating, and the first and only Turian magician!

"Allow me to do the introductions then!" Adaaya spoke up before anyone else could. "These are Operative Utsuho Reiuji, Reisen Udongien, Kasen Ibara and Desolas, my partner. Everyone, this is Spectre Nihlus Kyrik, the one who was supposed to accompany the beacon to Council space, and instead got blasted by it!"

Nihlus felt indignation rise as he opened his mandibles to speak up against the insulting way that Adaaya had described the events that had just recently transpired, but stopped as he saw Desolas very slightly shake his head in his direction as Utsuho spoke up.

"It is what it is. It's unfortunate that the beacon was destroyed, but better that then it fall into the wrong hands. Would you like me to send you my mission notes from when I had to assist Saren on a mission? I doubt you'd need it to know about him but . . ." Utsuho asked as she looked to Desolas.

"Please do, it could be interesting to see what your notes say," Desolas replied as he looked to Kasen and Reisen. "The three of you will be heading out then?"

"I will, yes," Resien replied quickly. "I need to help reassemble and asses our fleet damage around Eden Prime."

"And I will be going back out to assist in the reclamation efforts. A lot of people are unaccounted for yet, and I'm hoping we can find as many as possible before we have to begin worrying about lack of nutrition taking them."

"And I think I'll go and look over some of the damage areas. Especially where the Leviathan shot," Utsuho said as Reisen and Kasen left the room, quickly following them but stopping at the door and looking back in at Nihlus with a smile. "Mums the word."

"What?" Nihlus asked in confusion as Utsuho walked out with a big grin on her face.

"She means be quiet and don't tell anyone . . . you know, about what you heard, about her being the one that glassed the Hegemony capitol." Adaaya explained with a smile as the three of them became the only ones in the room.

"By all rights I should make sure I do exactly that." Nihlus added coolly, causing Desolas to let out a chuckle.

"Yes, but no one will believe you without a lot of evidence, and if that kind of information got out it would fracture the Batarians rehabilitation into a council species. Oh, and could cause another war between the Alliance and Council. Is that really what you want to do right now?"

Nihlus looked at Desolas and felt himself close to growling in annoyance. What they said was true, and it made it clear that he had been allowed to hear that piece of information for some purpose or another. He had fallen into a trap and had not even immediately realized it, and it was his own damn fault! "I'm a Spectre, as long as my information can be confirmed, it will be believed."

"Perhaps, but that would need you to be able to give people that information," Desolas said darkly as an arc of electricity leapt between his fringes.

"Are you threatening me? I could take you in or kill you for that."

"Good luck trying," Desolas again chuckled. "I am an Alliance operative, and I am the one who saved your life if you recall."

"You think that matters when you are threatening and blackmailing me?"

"If I was doing either I'd be doing it a lot more carefully. No, all I'm doing is making things clear to you," Desolas stated as electricity began quietly sparking down from his fringes across his arms. "I am not a Council citizen, I have no intention of letting a Spectre get in my way or order me around, and I will be catching my brother and making him pay for this, and perhaps much more! If you can deal with that you are welcome to come with Adaaya and I on our mission, otherwise I believe this will be the last we see of each other for a very long time."

Nihlus was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, doing his best to look unintimidated as he spoke. "While I can respect your drive, and will thank you for saving me, Personal feelings do not belong on the battlefield, or in hunting down a rogue spectre."

"Well you'll need to get used to it," Desolas stated coldly. "We are going after him, with or without your help. And just so you know, most ships that can break atmosphere were damaged, so unless you want to wait at least a couple more days to get off New Eden, our ship is the only ticket off this planet." A second after he finished speaking, Desolas smirked at Nihlus in a way that should have been impossible for any Turian, his lower jaw shifted and even his mandibles themselves bent as well. It was unearthly and horrifying, and added weight to his words in a way that Nihlus hadn't expected.

". . . . . if you think your actions mean anything right now-,"

"They don't? Please, I know more than you do about the situation right now, both on Eden Prime, and the space around it," Desolas said with a wave of his hand. "Our ship is an Operative class scout and infiltration corvette designed to get ground teams exactly where they want. Adaaya and I like to be in the thick of it, instead of wailing on targets across deep space, so our ship is more suited to hunting down a Spectre than anyone else's is. Oh, and we have a current gen slipdrive, so I'm pretty sure we could get anywhere faster than any ship you could order around anyway,"

" . . . . You don't like me, do you?"

"I don't care about you!" Desolas pressed. "All I care about is making my brother pay for this, and other things he has done. You have your ultimatum, come with us and keep up, or get lost!"

Nihlus looked at Desolas and began chuckling. "Are you forgetting I am a Spectre?"

"Are you forgetting I'm an operative, and Adaaya's partner who can keep up with her?"

Nihlus shuddered a bit as he remembered how tiring it was just to keep up with Adaaya for the short time he had too. "Alright, very well, I shall join you, at least to the Citadel to see what my new orders are. Understood?"

"Sure, but stop thinking you're in charge, then we'll get somewhere!" Desolas said casually as he walked out of the room, waving for Nihlus to follow.

As the two of them walked down the halls, finding no one else at all, nothing was said for many minutes, until Nihlus could no longer keep quiet. "What happened to your plates?"

"Excuse me?" Desolas replied, sounding insulted as he came to a door and taped a keypad beside it a few times, opening it to reveal a small room full of weapon racks and munitions.

"Your plates. What happened to them?" Nihlus asked as Desolas led him into the room and pointed to a case that clearly had Nihlus's armour hanging on it, beaten, scratched, but whole.

"Ha, that's what you're curious about? Well you don't need to worry. It's not contagious, so it's just me who looks like I've been covered in slag."

"But what exactly caused it?" Nihlus pressed as he began putting his armour on and notice his weapons on a rack beside him, smiling when he also noticed that they were cleaned and polished.

Desolas let out an exasperated sigh as he leaned against the doorframe. "Magic."

"You think I will believe that?"

"Adaaya punched a crane off its platform with her bare fists and can create winds that rival gale forces, while I generate enough electricity to fry a ships mass effect core and form railguns out of scrap metal. Magic wins."

"And you expect me to just believe those statements of your abilities?"

"Believe what you want. The truth is the truth. You done yet or do you want to have a bath and polish your talons too?"

"Oh please, my armour is worth more than everything else in this room. It's why I'm still alive!"

"I think I'm why you're alive, and I must have missed the memo about Eezo powered armour being worth more credits than an entire room of beam and pulse weapons. I wonder when that happened?" Desolas said off handedly as he walked out of the room, leaving Nihlus alone to connect the last pieces of his hard suit armour and began checking over his weapons, leaving him with his thoughts.

He had heard many rumors over the years about Desolas Arterius. Some called him a hero that stopped untold death, others called him the worst betrayer in the history of the Hierarchy. Bounties had been put on his head and removed repeatedly over the years, and there had been at least three reports of Spectres having him gotten in the way of their operations into Alliance space. It was not stated, but believed they had been operations to steal Alliance technology, and one of the spectres on one of those missions had never returned, while the other two came back with major wounds, including cauterized gashes and burn scars. To the spectres, the STG, The Turian cabals, and even the Asari commando squads, his name was one that gave mixed feeling of hate, respect, fear, admiration, disgust and confusion. But from having now met him, Nihlus was not sure what to think. To him, Desolas seemed like he didn't care, like he was in it for the laughs. He had insulted and joked at him in equal measure seemingly at random, yet all the while feeling like he was tense and simultaneously uncaring. Add in the fact that Desolas looked so strange with his texture-less plates and unnaturally extended fringe, his entire presence unnerved Nihlus on a basic level.

But that feeling had to be left behind. He was a Council spectre, and he had to return and report Saren's betrayal and accept his new mission, as the other had failed spectacularly.

He could still remember it vividly, Adaaya striking the crane, and heavily damaging the beacon as it whipped out. Hordes of mechanical monstrosities killing indiscriminately. Massive multi legged machined landing in cities and devastating whole planets and-

"Wait, that never happened!" Nihlus suddenly muttered to himself, finding that his heart was beating faster than it should have been. His memories were jumbled and made no sense. Memories not his own flashed when he tried to focus, but they were blurred, broken like they were not fully formed, yet forcing their way into his thoughts regardless. Metal beings like desiccated corpses, mechanical monsters that dropped from the sky and spat fire. His plates itched, his throat felt dry, and he could feel his blood seemingly boiling as his heart rate skyrocketed.

Nihlus gripped the stock of his rifle and quickly began controlling his breath while he began reciting names. Tevron, Sirund, Cassis, names of his ancestors, one at a time going backwards, his whole family line, one after another until he got to the oldest name in his family's history, Nihlus. His oldest known family member was known as a perfect tactician and combatant. He fought in the unification war, gaining rank only through his deeds and prowess. He was named after the greatest Turian in his family's history, and whenever he had trouble, all he needed to do was to recite his family's history, and his heartrate had calmed, as had his mind.

His mind was calm, he had his equipment. He would worry about the images and memories not his own later. For now, he had to return to the citadel, to report all that had occurred.

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 **Authors note: So, the first chapter of the actual game timeline, and we find out what happened to Desolas when he became a Youkai! Yes there are some things different and that have not been mentioned, but they will be, so look forward to it!**


	28. CH28 - Assembaly

**Authors note: I apologize for the delay on this. The summer heat made things difficult, but a two week cold made it worse. So again sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy!**

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"What took you so long? Armor joints not connecting?" Desolas asked as Nihlus came out of the room and back into the hall to find him waiting for him, an impatient look on his face.

"Something like that," Nihlus lied, not sure how to explain the strange visions he had seen just a moment before. "Are we leaving or not?"

"Yes, let's go. Adaaya is already prepping the crew to leave I'd wager," Desolas stated as he turned and began walking own the hall, small jolts of electricity arcing from his heels to the floor.

Nihlus followed just behind Desolas, noting that the arcs seemed to be in a precise pattern, likely in line with his heartbeat. As he stared though, he began to see shapes and forms in the halls with them, transparent wispy forms of large beings similar to a Turian or Krogan, but with two pairs of eyes on their large heads, and strange looking weapons in their hands. They ran beside and through them as if they were not there. And just as quickly as the phantoms had appealed, they were gone, and Desolas had stopped in front of a door just ahead & was tapping on a console.

As Nihlus walked up beside him the door opened revealing a large hanger like dock with a small, but interesting looking ship within. Its design seemed vaguely Turian and Human at the same time, a small corvette, maybe a frigate at most, with a long central body and wings on either side. It was oddly smooth all across the whole thing, and Nihlus could see a few open sections on the body and wings that appeared to be holding weapons being checked over by maintenance crews that scurried about the dock. Perhaps the strangest facet of the ship however was its pitch colored paint, and the green and red lines that glowed across it from what looked to be circles or symbols on the top and bottom of its center most area.

"That is, a rather small ship," Nihlus commented as Desolas and he entered the dock and began walking down the catwalk to what appeared to be a docking tube.

"The "Normandy". Adaaya and I gave input on its initial design and building. It is our ship, a one of a kind corvette focused on brining to bear substantial power on a single point to allow for quick insertion of ground troops, and for stealth operations."

Nihlus looked at Desolas for a moment, causing him to laugh.

"Relax, it's not like it's for stealth bombing cities or anything," Desolas said as he walked toward the entrance, which opened up for him immediately.

As the two of them entered Nihlus found himself gazing at the walls and the consoles in a strange mix of confusion and wonder. The walls were sleek like most ship interiors, but had glowing runes and lines all across them. The floor had the same glowing lines across it, and Nihlus found he was unconsciously trying not to step on them.

The cockpit was almost immediately to their left as they entered, and the pilot swiveled in his seat to look at Nihlus and Desoals, a strangely happy looking smile covering his face. "Had to find a friend, eh Boss?"

"Hardly, the Spectre will be accompanying us to the Citadel," Desolas said as he turned to the human, who Nihlus then noticed had glowing metal braces on his legs. "So, how's she looking? Are we ready to go?"

"As soon as the eggheads give us the go ahead, yeah. My baby got here fine, so I don't know what they are squabbling about," he said with an aggravated shake of his head. "I've got the Citadels coordinates locked into the slipdrive, so as soon as you or Adaaya give me the go ahead we'll be out of here."

"Got it, Joker. I'll Tell Adaaya. Know where she flew off too?" Desolas asked with a chuckle.

"Um, yeah, think she said she was heading down to the mess hall to wait for you. Probably giving our troops the once over before we leave. Oh, and before you ask, Chakwas is already here. I could feel her cold gaze before she even came onto the ship, ugh," Joker said with a visible shudder before he turned back to his controls and tapped a few physical buttons, causing a low hum of music to come out of a speaker on the wall.

"Good to know, talk later!" Desolas said as he turned and walked down the hall to what Nihlus figured was a command interface center, or CIC. It had the look of a Turian CIC, though the strange machines, glowing panels and the fact that most consoles looked to be physical instead of holographic made it look both strange and archaic.

"Why does your ship not use holographic control panels," Nihlus finally asked as they came around the CIC's main holograph projector that was showing a model of the ship and came to a recess with a pair of wide stairs going down.

"Because it's inefficient," Desolas said simply. "If any problem occurs to the ships power then we lose all controls. With physical controls you still have some control even if your power grid becomes partially damaged. Holograms sometimes get effected by some magic, or Youkais presences too, so it's safer," Desolas explained as they both came down the stairs to the mess hall.

It was a simple mess hall, or at least it appeared so at first glance. To the right side of the large area was what looked like a medical ward closed into its own room, while the rest of the spacious room was simply separated by what it held. In the center were a couple of large tables with chairs connected to them, while on the right was what looked like a kitchen with a counter and a half dozen fridge's and cupboards, but no stove or heaters. Past the kitchen area was what looked like a small raised arena, and there were numerous people both in the kitchen cooking food on what looked to be grills built into them, and people in the arena sparring, one of them with a large pair of wings.

Before they could walk over though, a woman came over to Desolas and Saluted. "Sir, may I ask you a question, sir?"

"Yes . . . forgive me, Williams?" Desolas asked, unsure of the woman's name. She was very clearly young, but her appearance was very strange looking, as her eyes were a bright red, and her hair was an equally bright green.

"Yes, sir. Adaaya has told us the basic of what we will be doing, but she did not tell us the why. I was wondering if you were allowed or willing to explain the whole situation to us?"

"That would depend on exactly what Adaaya told you, now wouldn't it?" Desolas responded, causing the girl to scowl.

"She told us we were heading to the Citadel to learn Saren's whereabouts and make him pay for the attack on Eden Prime, and that the Spectre beside you would be joining us. She did not answer our questions about the ship that attacked Eden Prime, or about those mechanized troopers you took out and saved us from."

"I suppose that is why Alenko is sparring with her?" Desolas asked with a smirk that caused his mandibles to bend in ways that they were not meant to, making Nihlus shudder a bit on reflex.

"He didn't say that, but it seems likely. He wears his feelings on his sleeve after all," Williams said with a shrug.

"I see, that does seem likely," Desolas said with a sigh before he smirked. "I need to double check on Chakwas, keep our spectre friend company for a bit, would you?"

Before either of them could say anything, Desolas was already walking toward the medial bay, leaving Nihlus alone with the young woman.

"It seems we've been abandoned. I am Nihlus Kyrik, a Spectre of the Citadel Council."

"I can see that. . . . I am Ashley Williams, a half Youkai suppression specialist who will be part of Adaaya and Desoal's ground assault team. I suppose it is a pleasure to meet you." Ashley said, never making eye contact with Nihlus even once as she spoke.

"You don't like me, do you?" Nihlus said with a chuckle.

"It is not personal, but racial. You could say I was born into disliking your race," Ashley replied as she finally looked at Nihlus, her eyes seeming to blaze with barely contained fire. "I was born during the invasion of Shanxi by your race. My father was the general and my mother the most powerful Youkai on Shanxi at the time. The sight of you Turians causes a spike of rage in the depths of my being."

Nihlus stared at Ashley for a moment before speaking up, his vice cool and neutral. "Why would you tell me this?"

"There is a rumor going about the crew that you may be joining us past just the Citadel, so I wanted to make it clear to you that if you fight alongside us, if I glare at you it is not personal. It is simply a natural reaction to your kind that my birth has given me. It is also an ultimatum that if you do join us in combat, do not get in any of our ways. None of us think kindly of your rank, and if you get in the way, some will hit you without fear of reprisal."

"Including yourself?"

"I may be young, but I am smart enough not to strike a potential ally regardless of the circumstance," Ashley stated simply as she glance around the room and then back to Nihlus. "However, if you betray us, I cannot say the same!"

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"All set up, Doctor?" Desolas asked as he entered the med-bay and let the door slide shut behind him.

Chakwas, who was sitting at a desk with a computer terminal open, turned to Desolas and nodded. "Yes, all of my equipment is where it is needed, and the equipment already here is enough as well. I should be able to deal with most injuries you all are bound to take knowing your styles."

"That is good to hear, fighting always means the chance of injury, and it's good to know we are in capable hands."

"Sure it is, but why are you here really? Shouldn't you be talking to Adaaya and preparing for our departure?" Chakwas asked with a smirk.

Desolas smirked back and walked further in to lean against one of the medical machines flat sides. "Maybe I'm here to ask what you think of our crew?"

"You and Adaaya are sufficiently skilled for the mission, and Jenkins, Williams and Alenko are skilled enough to not get themselves killed in action. The Spectre admittedly seems trustworthy enough for the situation, and I do not believe he will pose a problem, yet. Now, tell me why you are here really!"

"Hahaha, can't beat you Lunarians! Better than the Asari though, at least most of you cut to the chase," Desolas said with another chuckle before his eyes suddenly became hard. "I want to know how much you know about the real situation. How much have you been told?"

Chakwas smirked at Desolas's words. "I am not privy to everything, but I know enough to know the situation behind this head hunt at the very least. I also know that some information is better left unsaid. Besides, Operatives are often informed of far more than one such as me. If you want more information, would not ask directly to the heads, or perhaps our Ambassador Scarlet, yes?"

Desolas let out a sigh. "I don't like it, but that is fair," Desolas said as his wrist comp pinged and he tapped it open "Yes, Joker?"

"Ground crews just gave us the all green, we're clear to leave whenever you and the boss lady want!"

Desolas nodded to himself. "Then prep for, and launch when the ship is ready. I'll get the crew ready now," He added as he closed the line and left the med bay, giving a wave of thanks to Chakwas. As he reentered the main area he could see Ahley and Nihlus talking seriously, oblivious to the festive atmosphere in the rest of the hall. No one noticed him, and Adaaya was busy beating Alenko. He needed to get everyone's attention, so with an electrified clap of his hands, making a noise not dissimilar from a thunderclap that echoed in the hall, he did. "Attention! Our ship, the Normandy, has finally been allowed to leave the dock! We are departing in minutes for the Citadel to begin hunting for the Council Spectre that has unjustly assaulted this fair place. Everyone should report to their stations immediately! We will find Specre Saren, and show him the power of the alliance. We will make him wish he had never been born into this galaxy!"

The entire crew roared their approval and began moving, a thundering rampage of footsteps that echoed in the hall as most left for their posts. In less than minute the only ones in the hall were Desolas, Nihlus, Adaaya, and a soldier who was battening down the refrigerators with clamps and closing the various tables cooktops in preparation for launch.

"Oh, that was a lot better than what I had said. Nice going, Desolas!" Adaaya exclaimed as she leapt out of fight ring and walked over, her wings bouncing a bit with each step.

"I had to get them moving somehow with you taking all their attention. Why was Alenko picking a fight anyway?"

"Not a fight, he just wanted to spar, against you technically, but you were with our tagalong,"

'They think little of me so casually,' Nihlus thought with a sigh as he stepped toward the pair. "Once we leave, how long will it take for this ship of yours to reach the Citadel?"

"Hmm, if Joker puts her through her paces like he wants to . . . probably four to seven hours I'd say?" Adaaya answered with a noncommittal shrug.

"F-four to seven? That's absurd!" Nihlus declared in shock. There was no way that a ship could move that fast! Even the Alliance's slip drives couldn't, there was no way!

"Why? I told you we have a new generation slip drive installed, and on smaller ships it allows them to move faster," Desolas said with a smirk. "If we were a battleship, it'd take us the usual three days I'd wager, but since we're a corvette-."

"There no reason why we should take our time. If we're lucky we can get to the Citadel before Saren does. If he's returning there, of course." Adaaya added with a grin.

"Saren is not stupid. After striking a world that was also the Councils, there is no way he would go back there."

"Perhaps," Desolas said calmly as a smirk crossed his face. "However, there is also the chance that he will try to return to the Citadel and tell the story of what happened another way. Regardless, you need to return, and there may be a lead to his location there as well."

"That is true I suppose, but I do not think Saren would try such a thing. This entire situation seems odd, honestly."

"No, it really doesn't. This is just like him, trust me," Desolas said with a growl as orange light began lashing through the room. "Brace yourself, we're lifting off."

Just as Desolas said it, the entire ship shook for a second, making Nihlus stumble while Desolas simply stood there, and Adaaya leanpt into the air with a grin and came back down. "Gods, I love that feeling of weightlessness!" Adaaya exclaimed as she nearly pranced over to the door and tapped its console. "C'mon, there's only so much time till we hit the Citadel, so let's go over what we know, and what we're looking for!"

"That is a good idea," Nihlus agreed quickly, not realizing what he was getting himself into.

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 **June 7** **th** **, 2155 – Widow system – The Citadel.**

With a thin hiss, the docking ramp connected to the Normandy and its door opened to a busy and confused commercial dock. Due to the Normandy's rather sudden and unexpected appearance at the Citadel, there was no available military or diplomatic dock open for it to take, so they were forced to dock in the commercial docks just off one of the wards.

The workers and civilians in the dock itself had never seen a ship like the Normandy before. Its shape was violent and oppressive looking, like someone took a Turian ship and made it angrier looking. The strange looks it received became doubled as its ground crew walked out onto the docks however.

Adaaya had her strange, piecemeal sections of armor on, while Desolas was unusually wearing full armor. His armor had sections of cloth at the waist, legs and arms, and his full helmet was oddly shaped for a Turian helmet. He showed no skin, either being covered by armor or cloth, and it made him stand out as much as Adaaya did.

With them was Kaiden Alenko, who was wearing a light carapace armor with cloth sectioned joints as many magicians did, Ashley Williams, whose amour did not cover her arms, allowing green tattoos to be easily seen going down from her shoulders, and Nihlus, who was wearing his own amour and breathed a sigh of relief as soon as they were away from the ship.

"Ah, it feels good to be back! I will be reporting to the Council immediately, so thank you for allowing me to accompany you here," Nihlus said as he turned to Desolas and Adaaya, giving them both a small but honest smile.

"Don't thank us yet," Adaaya responded with a chuckle. "We'll be checking in with Ambassador Flandre, and then probably going to yell at the councilors ourselves, so this is probably not the last you'll see of us!"

"Understood. It's only fair your personal be informed and inform the council as well, I suppose," Nihlus agreed before he looked at the four Alliance soldiers before him and sighed. "Please try to not cause a ruckus on the station. I don't want to have to bring you in."

"That assumes you could," Desolas said slyly, his voice being distorted by his helmet and making it sound strange and difficult to place. It was likely done on purpose in case bounty hunters were after him. Which was possible even after all these years.

Nihlus shook his head as he turned away and walked off; giving a parting wave to them all before he disappeared around the dispersing crowds. It appeared he was well known by many.

"Alright, now that we know what he is doing," Adaaya said as she turned to Kaiden and Ashley with a grin. "I want the two of you to wander around and see what you can. Desolas and I will go talk to Flandre in the meantime and call you if we need you."

"Yes ma'am!" Ashley responded immediately with a smirk, while Kaiden looked at Adaaya and Desolas for a second before speaking up.

"May I ask why Tali is not with us? She had wanted to join us and is part of the ground team after all."

"The sight of a helmetless Quarian is still unheard of outside of the Alliance, and they still think of them as thieves and scoundrels. As unfair as it is, it's better that she stay on the ship for now," Desolas answered quietly before he cocked his head a bit at Kaiden. "Don't worry, there shouldn't be any reason for a full ground team on the Citadel anyway, and she can support you vie wrist comp if you need it."

"Yes, sir!" Kaiden replied as he bowed slightly to them both.

"Good, now both of you get going while we play politics with the phycho vampire," Desolas commanded, causing both of them to walk off, many groups of people moving away to let them pass uncertainly.

"C'mon, let's get going ourselves," Adaaya said as she and then Desolas walked away from the ship, getting similar treatment from the crowds. "I had forgotten that you've met Flandre in person before. I've heard the stories, but was that remark literal or humor?"

"Both," Desolas answered with a sigh as they entered the ward itself, getting far more stares than Desolas would have liked. He had gotten used to the occasional stare in Alliance space, but for the most part, people didn't stare that much. With Adaaya's looks, and his own identity covering armor though, it was expected they would get many looks. They still were far from welcome however, and they made Desolas let out an annoyed sigh. "This is suffocating."

"Then take the helmet off!"

"I meant the Citadel, not the amour," Desolas replied to Adaaya's snark with a chuckle. "I hope we can get what we need and leave quickly. The longer we are here the more trouble we'll find."

"Or it will find us," Adaaya remarked with a hopeful grin. "We're being followed. Two Turians and a Batarian."

"And here I was hoping you wouldn't notice," Desolas groaned. "Let's wait to see what they do. We don't want to start the fight, it will make the council less likely to help us."

"Not that they are likely to anyway. Helping the Quarians and Krogan, screwing with them multiple times over the years. Everyone is saying that they are getting fed up with Yukari and Kaguya."

"Everyone gets fed up with them at some point or another. Either it will pass or something will happen. We just need to be long gone if it's the latter."

"That's true, but considering the rumors, it will probably be the latter," Adaaya said with a shrug as the Batarian that was following them walked past them at a very fast pace, then spun around to face them a couple meters ahead.

"Hold on there, Alliance. You look like you don't belong here!"

"Duty says we do, otherwise we wouldn't be here. Need something?" Adaaya asked with a grin as the two Turians came up behind them.

"Of course! It's not often that you Alliance folk come around here, so why don't you be nice and hand over some credits, yes?"

"Sorry, we're here on business so we only have our own money, we haven't had any converted to credits, maybe next time?" Adaaya answered sweetly, doing a superb job of looking innocent and warm despite her amour and visible muscle.

"Well, why don't you give us what you have and we'll go convert it ourselves. Be reasonable!" one of the Turians said with a grin.

Desolas, who had had enough of it, let out an annoyed groan and turned to the two Turians. "Back off or spirits help me you'll be begging for someone to put you out of your misery."

"Why you, who do you think you are!?" The other Turian Said as he pulled out a knife that looked like it had seen better decades.

In that same second electricity arced from Desolas to the Turians hand, shocking it and making him drop the knife as Adaaya rounded on the Batarian with a closed fist, sending him backward into a wall and dropping him to the ground unconscious.

The one Turian closed in on them as the other tried to claw at Desolas, only for them both suddenly spasm and fall to the ground, twitching uncontrollably for a few seconds before they both stopped.

"What is going on here!?" A third Turian in a Citadel Security uniform called as he stormed over, a confused and worried expression covering his face.

"Sorry officer, they decided our money would be better suited in their hands, and we disagreed," Adaaya said with a smile that looked far too pleased with herself.

The Turian officer let out an exasperated sigh as he looked at the unconscious Turians and Batarian. "Third time this week we've had this happen. I know that you were defending yourselves, but I'll need you both to come with me to C-Sec to tell your side of the story."

"That's going to be a problem. We have to meet with the Alliance ambassador," Desolas said quickly, making the officer look at him for a few seconds before his mandibles spread wide in surprise.

"That's . . . . understandable . . . fine, I'll take them in. just don't cause any more trouble while you are on the citadel please."

"Understood!" Adaaya said happily as she walked off followed by Desolas. "So, I think he realized who you were," Adaaya then said once they had left the area.

"He did. My amour doesn't hide my race. Anyone who could connect the dots would notice."

"Then why wear it in the first place?"

"Because I don't want to push my luck. There could be mercenaries who figure they could make a quick buck off my body, and if making them think about who I could be allows me to leave without a problem, I'll take it."

"You're far too serious, you know that?" Adaaya said with a smirk as the pair entered the Presidium ring and began heading to the section with Flandre's abode. "Think about it, we know what's coming, sort of, and know way more than anyone in council space does. Everything we do will be to change, divert or stop it, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy what we're doing yeah?"

Desolas let out an annoyed groan. "No, you're not serious enough! Let's just go talk to Flandre and see if she has anything for us before we go nag the council!"

"Oh right, you've met Lady Scarlet before, haven't you?"

"Yes, yes I have," Desolas said with a grumble. "The first time was on Shanxi, and I've met her a couple times since then, though only in passing."

"She anything like the rumors?"

"You'll see in a moment," Desolas said as he turned and walked down a street toward a small abode, unlike anything in the area. It was deathly quiet, there was no one around, and the building had a feeling of oppression that Desolas knew well. "This is the place."

"I kind of figured by the bat motif on the main door," Adaaya deadpanned as she pointed at the buildings door, where there was indeed a bat motif, complete with little fangs coming from its mouth dripping blood."

"I didn't see that. It's certainly . . . . eye catching."

"It does scream, house of vampire, doesn't it?" Adaaya asked rhetorically as the two of them walked up to the door, only for it to open and Flandre's maid, Mei, to be standing there with a smile on her face.

"Please come in, Lady Scarlet is waiting for you," she said with a small bow as she stepped aside and gestured within.

Stepping in and then following Mei through the surprisingly homey building, they came to a large office that held only a holocomm projector in the center of it. The projector had holograms of Councilors Tevos and Valern and before it stood Flandre Scarlet, who wore a very annoyed face.

"I have already told you the situation. Eden Prime was assaulted by a force of pirates and unknown ships, led by your Spectre, Saren Arterius. What is so hard to comprehend about that simple sentence?"

"It is not that it is difficult to comprehend, but difficult to believe," Valern said in an equally annoyed tone.

"Saren is our best agent. Sparatus is debriefing Spectre Kyrik right now, but the fact remain that it is, difficult to believe."

"I fail to see how difficult it is to believe when there are dozens of reports of the same, including one of your own spectres and many of our operatives," Flandre took a breath and glanced to the side at Desolas and Adaaya before smiling. "Two of which are now here. And I'm willing to bet they have the same story!"

"Then perhaps they would like to tell it?" Tevos pushed.

"And I shall!" Adaaya said as she walked over to the holocomm and gave a small bow, her wings lifting and looking far larger than they were. "I am Alliance Operative, Adaaya Nicotris Sheppard. My partner and I were the ones whom your Spectre, Nihlus Kyrik was to meet. We met him just after the attack began, at the dig site. Saren Arterius led the assault and attempted to take the Prothean Beacon with him. It was destroyed in the ensuing chaos and he escaped only by bringing in reinforcements of pirate piloted battlesuits that were also destroyed in the battle."

"Battlesuits? That is impossible!" Valern nearly yelled.

"Here's video of them," Adaaya said as she plugged a chip into the holocomm and let its video play for a few seconds. "See, battlesuits. Anything else you would like to say is impossible?"

Both Tevos and Valern were quiet for a few moments until a beep pulled their attention away for just a moment. "It appears that Sparatus has given us the debrief and it does indeed match your story, more or less."

"And because of this revelation we will be revoking Saren's Spectre status, as well as putting out bounty and wanted notices. He will not be able to regret this choice of actions," Tevos declared, seeming almost proud with her words.

"Do you really think that is enough?" Flandre said angrily. "We're talking about a full assault on a planet, that led to hundreds of deaths and injuries, the destruction of ancient technology, and a clear alliance between the terminus factions and a Council spectre, who was supposedly your best at protecting your so called galactic peace!"

"Yes, and that is why another Spectre will be hunting for him," Sparatus stated as his own hologram appeared on the projector. "Spectre Nihlus Kyrik has stated that he plans to hunt down and bring Saren to justice."

"I see, then you won't mind if some Operatives also pursue him, no?" Flandre asked with a dark grin.

"That will not be necessary. Our Spectre will be more than enough to purse and bring Saren to justice," Tevos responded quickly.

"Will he really?" Adaaya asked with a grin. "If I hadn't saved him, Saren would have popped a hole in his head. I don't think your Spectres are truly up for it! Not on their own, or alone at least!"

Sparatus and Tevos seemed to both shake with angry, while Valern simply smiled. "Then why don't we come to a compromise. Our Spectre shall go, and your operatives as well, but I would request one of our own accompany your operatives as you will likely be in Council space for a prolonged period, yes? I don't think it's that bad of a deal, you get to go hunting, and you get additional support and all we get is the peace of mind that you're being watched and small reports of your progress!"

Flandre blinked and stared at Valern's hologram, seeming to take a moment to digest everything that was said. "You want to put a spectre on our ship?"

"I would not be so dim as to request such a thing. A Council investigator, or perhaps one from C-Sec if you'd prefer, would be more than sufficient as a liaison for this cooperative hunt, yes?"

Flandre glanced sideways at Adaaya, and Desolas who was still by the door. Both of them nodded in sync. "Very well, a C-Sec one will be sufficient."

"Probably, oh and if we'll be pursuing him, give us his room key," Adaaya suddenly said with a smirk.

"That will be difficult, Saren did not stay on the Citadel between his mission, and only ever came for intel or equipment. He had his own ship, The "Eye of Palaven", I believe it was called." Tevos responded, shattering Adaaya's smirk.

"A name is good enough," Adaaya said with a sigh. "Can all information on Saren, his ship and those he is close to be sent to our ship for us?"

"I suppose that can be arranged. There are a few things we should speak of as well before you leave, but before that, you should know that two Alliance soldiers have been reported to be part of some sort of altercation in the wards with a Krogan."

Adaaya glanced toward Desolas, who quickly nodded and slid out of the room. "Fine, my partner will take care of it. What other information can you tell me?"

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"Dammit, I know I didn't tell them not to, but they should not have gone looking for trouble. Unless trouble found them it's probably a Krogan with old views and delusions of grandeur," Desolas muttered as he leapt between buildings down the length of the citadel arm towards the ward. It had taken only a few minutes to get as far as he had, but a few second later the sound of a loud crash pulled his attention, and he quickly found the sight of the altercation and realized a few things right away.

Both Alenko and Williams were present, as was the Krogan. The altercation was not with the Krogan, but rather a large group of peopled dressed and armed like mercenaries. And finally, the altercation had devolved into a full on firefight with every mercenary and many bystanders, trying to pin down Alenko, Williams, and the Krogan, all of whom were crouched behind an overturned hovercar that looked like it had been broiled with a dozen fire spells.

The fight was happening across an entire open market area, with most civilians ushered to one side and leaving as quickly as possible while C-Sec forces were trying to get past them. The market area itself was large with a number of open walled shops, but there were only three entrances, two of which were blockaded with a hovercar and the shards of a mercantile stall. It seemed the mercenaries had planned it in some way.

Landing at the edge by a pair of C-Sec officers Desolas stepped up to them and spoke up with a loud commanding voice. "May I ask what is happening here?"

Both C-Sec officers, Turian and Asari, both turned to him, a nervous and surprised look covering their faces.

"Sir, please back away. There is a situation going on and we cannot guarantee your safety if you stay here," The Asari stated quickly.

"Wait, that amour is. . . are you . . .Alliance?" The Turian asked, his tone going quieter as he spoke.

"I am," Desolas answered simply as he looked past C-secs barricade and sighed. "The Alliance soldiers there are under my command, so I'll ask again, what has happened here?"

"Very well, your soldiers are not at fault, we think," The Turian began in a tired voice. "Reports from civilians fleeing the scene say that they struck up conversation with the Krogan, a well-known bounty hunter, and during their conversation Blue Suns mercenary's revealed themselves to be in the market area and then proceeded to attack the Krogan, and the two soldiers. The fighting has gone on for a while, but it just recently entered a stalemate. We've had seventeen wounded so far, and two deaths."

"Civilians?"

"No, a C-Sec officer and another bounty hunter who tried to stop the madness," The Asari said with a shake of her head. "So much for Alliance capability."

"I'll ignore that, as my people had orders to not cause undue chaos on the citadel while here," Desolas said as he began walling past the officers, toward the market area's entrance.

"Sir, that's-,"

"I know what it is. I assume your plan is just to wait for reinforcement, or for it to blow over, so I'll just head in there and end it myself," Desolas declared before he took a few steps and stopped to turn and look at the officers, his faceless helmet seeming malicious as he spoke up and asked "Do you need any of the mercenaries alive or coherent?"

"Ah, uhm, a couple would be nice for us to question," the Asari officer replied, looking horrified.

"Good, then I'll leave two alive," Desolas stated as he leapt into the air, flew in an arc and landed in the market area with a hard clank on the metal flooring, right in the middle of the market area, with the mercenaries to one side, and his subordinates and the Krogan on the other.

No one said anything for a good minute straight as a deathly silence washed over the market, until finally one of the mercs called out angrily to Desolas. "Who are you? Get lost!"

"Wait, that amour. . .what are you?"

"He's a Turian, but what is that amour? Are you a, Spectre?"

"Oh, screw it," Desolas said loudly enough to be heard as he undid the clasp on his helmet and took it off, attaching it to a clip on his waist as he turned to the mercs, allowing them to see his strange looking plates. "My name . . . . is Desolas Arterius, Operative of the Alliance! I don't know what your problem with my men is, but I don't care. Leave now, or die, those are your options!"

Many of the mercenaries began to mutter and take steps back, pulling themselves out of cover without realizing it. But one, a Turian with red face paint across his forehead and mandibles, instead walked toward Desolas until he was barely a meter away from him and smirked. "Heh, so you're the infamous betrayer, huh?"

"I don't recall betraying anyone," Desolas answered swiftly making the Turian merc before him gawk in surprise.

"You don't? That is a lie and everyone including the spirits knows it! No matter, despite the strange look of your plates, you don't look that tough. Run along before I kill you!" he stated as he pulled a hand cannon off his hip and pointed it at Desolas's head.

Desolas sighed and looked past the one in front of him to the rest of the mercs. "This is your last chance. Those who do not wish to die drop your weapons and step away from them. Those who do not-,"

"Shut up!" The merc before Desolas interrupted as he pulled the trigger on his hand cannon, letting a bearing sized piece of metal fly out of it toward his head. Only to suddenly be evaporated out of existence by an arc of electricity that came off of Desolas's fringe.

"What in the spirits name was-," the merc began just as Desolas swung his arm out in front of him. From the barely noticeable slot in his vambrace, a strand of fluid metal pushed out and formed a long thin blade of dark blue metal. It bypassed the mercs kinetic barrier, struck the amour around his neck and went right though, severing his head from his body and causing it to roll off onto the floor, striking just after the blade of metal retracted back into Desolas's vambrace.

Most of the mercs did not understand what had happened. They had been unable to track the quick motion of Desolas's arm, or the growth of metal that then disappeared as quickly as it had formed. All they, and the on looking C-Sec officers, had seen was Desolas moving his arm and sending the merc's head falling to the ground, spreading blue blood across the ground.

Chaos broke out immediately. Many of the merc's dropped their weapons, while the more angry or violent instead raised them and fired without any care. Every accelerator round was subsequently struck from the air by an ever increasing storm of electrical arcs that made it impossible to see Desolas.

Then, as every mercs weapons overheated and stopped firing, the electrical surges parted, showing Desolas in the center of the field of energy. The lines of energy across the hard sections of his amour glowed brightly and flowed with power, while similar lines of energy arced across his face and his exposed skin. The section of cloth on his arms, legs and waist flapped madly around the energy, while arcs of pure electricity jumped across his body from the lines of energy to anything that could catch them. The most terrifiying thing though, was the fact that Desolas own eyes also glowed with the same energy, making him look like a spirit of the storms.

Then the storm awoke, and the marketplace became a place of carnage. Rushing toward the nearest mercs, Desolas kicked them square in the chest, sending a surge of electricity into them even as they flew backwards into a kiosk that had, miraculously, stayed in one piece up until that point.

Mercenaries both ran for cover and tried to fire on Desolas, most getting knocked by electricity or fried alive, while those that had dropped their weapons and had not gone back for them were miraculously still alive and seemed unable to be struck by the energy.

Not even a minute after the electricity arced out from Desolas it all disappeared, leaving him standing in the middle of the market with ashen trails going out from his person to where the charred, burnt and devastated corpses. Slowly, the two remaining mercs that had not let go of their weapons got up from behind some debris. One, a Salarian, fainted a few seconds after, while the other, an Asari, stood up and looked at Desolas with eyes filled with nothing but fear and unbridled rage.

"You monster! I don't know what you did or what the alliance did to you, but you are nothing but a monster! The goddess will bring you down and defile your corpse until nothing is left and-,"

The Asari's words were interrupted by the sound of a shotgun going off, and her head exploding into gore. As her body fell limply to the ground a Krogan with a red crest came around a piece of debris with a smile on his face. "Ha, serves you right for letting your emotions take control!" He said as he kicked her body and then turn to Desolas. "Well, that was helpful. We were doing fine until they all started firing in order to keep us pinned. Nice job, Turian."

Desolas looked at the Krogan, and then past him to Alenko and Williams and scowled. "Explain."

"Sir, we came here looking for equipment, supplies or intel and met this Krogan battlemaster instead." Kaiden began to explain.

"The mercenaries appeared to have a bone to pick with him as well, but he had told us he had lines of intelligence we might find useful, and that he wished to join the mission to hunt down the councils rogue Spectre, sir!" Ashley added.

Desolas let out a sigh as he looked back at the Krogan, who was now grinning at him. "Alright, so who are you and why should I care about you?"

"The name's Urdnot Wrex, and as for why you should care,-"

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"Why are you waiting by my ship?" Adaaya asked Nihlus Kyrik, who was standing with another Turian in front of the Normandy's docking boon in full amour and equipment.

"You had said it was likely not the last I would see of you," Nihlus responded with a smirk.

"That does not mean I wanted to see you again, especially waiting by my ship. So what do you want and who is that?"

"My name Is Garrus Vakerian, C-Sec investigations," The other Turian said with a salute. "I have been ordered to assist your endeavor in hunting own the rogue spectre, Saren Arterius."

"I was asked to show him where your ship was docked," Nihlus spoke up. "However, I also was looking into if there were any ships I could use for my mission, and there are none that would be adequate that are currently on the citadel."

"So buy your own ship, problem solved," Adaaya said with a scowl.

"It is not that simple. There are no ships that would serve my purpose, and I am not personally well versed in commanding a ship either. Your ship is the only one that is small, fast and equipped for such a mission."

"If you think that mean you can order us around, you have another think coming!" Adaaya said seriously, her tone almost growling.

"I am not assuming such a thing. I would like to merely request to travel with you. As we both have the same mission, combining our resources and efforts would be intelligent."

"You assume we need your help,"

"I have two leads already that may help in finding Saren," Nihlus countered with a smirk.

Adaaya and Nihlus stared at each other for a few moments, saying nothing until the sound of footsteps pulled their attention to Desolas, Kaiden, Ashley, and a Krogan who were walking toward them.

"Glad to see I'm not the only one who picked up some extras," Desolas said with a chuckle as he neared.

"That is not funny."

"No, but let's get going already. My brother is not going to catch himself!"

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Councilor Tevos stared at a screen on her desk, showing the Alliance ship with its operatives leaving the Citadel. As soon as it left Citadel space she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Alliance people, especially their Youkai, made her feel nervous. Their ambassador was bad enough with how easily she killed people and showed no restraint, but any others made her even more nervous. It was strange really. The Alliance was supposed to be comprised of three species, Humans, Lunarians and youkai, but the few Alliance people on the Citadel all seemed to be youkai or Lunarian. "I wonder why their humans do not come here?"

"Because they are not allowed to," came a new voice.

Tevos immediate glance up and looked around her office. It was locked, she was sure she had locked it, but there standing in front of the door in a formal outfit of blue and green was a man, a human. His eyes were a deep blue, while his hair was a light brown color. He was tall, easily as tall as she was and was holding a large briefcase in each hand with an unnervingly calm smile on his face. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" Tevos asked as she sat up in her chair, very slowly reaching toward the pistol she kept on the desks underside. She wasn't a very good shot, but she needed to be sure regardless.

"You do not need to be afraid, I am here on important business that is nonviolent," the man said as he walked to a table on the rooms left side and placed both of his briefcases down before turning to Tevos and bowing with a smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Charles Saracino, leader of the Human Survivalist organization, Terrafirma. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Councilor Tevos of the Asari."

Tevos swallowed and nodded, realizing something of the man's words felt off. "Why do you call your organization a survival group, when you are cited as terrorists?" she finally asked, while grabbing her pistol.

"Because, in truth that is what it is," the man said with a calm sigh. "Please give me just a moment of time to earn your trust. I am here because I wish to inform you of the real situation in the Alliance. Humanity's situation."

"What do you mean?" Tevos asked, the grip on her pistol loosening slightly.

"What I mean is that the Alliance has not been, and likely never will be straight with your council ,because that is not how youkai and Lunarians are. They plan, and scheme at all times, and one such scheme is why my people are separate from them. Why we live on our own, and why Humanity is in decline. To be most accurate, apart from Terrafirma's people, it is believed that in one hundred years, the number of newly born humans in the Alliance will drop to barely ten percent of the total population. Humanity is being weeded out of existence!"


	29. CH29 - The Doctor

**Authors note: Sorry for this chapter's lateness. I do no fanfic writing in November during nanowrimo, but then when I came back to this it just was not cooperating. Still hasn't been really, but that's a different matter.**

 **On a different note, the Author xyzdreadnought, with my blessing, permission and assistance is now writing a sort of spin off of the boundary effect, that takes place during the time skip after reiteisai. it's called The boundary effect – the path of a magician. If you want to, go give it a gander.**

 **Okay, now onto the show, or chapter as it is I guess.**

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"Alright, I've told Joker to get us off the Citadel, but we still need to give him an actual set of coordinates or he's going to start making us orbit the nearest Citadel military station with weapons hot for the fun of it," Desolas said as he, Adaaya and Nihlus came into the Normandy's small, but decent meeting room. There was only enough room around the table for probably six people, but as the room was shielded from spying there wasn't much need to use it often.

"Yeah, I can see him doing that," Adaaya muttered in agreement as she leaned on the table and glance at Nihlus. "I got a lead, but you said you have two of them?"

"That's correct, though I had assumed you would have gone immediately for your own," Nihlus admitted as he tapped his omnitool, making Adaaya and Desolas cringe a bit. "What's wrong?"

"Your omnitool still has Eezo in it. We'll have to fix that later," Desolas said as he gestured for Nihlus to continue.

"R-right, sorry. It hadn't crossed my mind, and I was busy," he said as he projected a pair of planets in the air from his omnitool. "My first lead is on Noveria, a privately owned planet that works slightly outside of Citadel law because of its ownership. There is a lab there owned by Binary Helix, a company that over the past few years Saren has been buying stock in until he came to fully own the company a year ago. There has been rumor of a large amount of equipment and personal moving into their labs, but not out of it. Even if Saren is not there, it could have a lead on his location."

"It could, but it could also be a waste of time if it's a dead end," Adaaya commented.

"Any lead could be just as dead. What was the other?" Desolas asked.

"The other lead I have is, admittedly, slightly more personal," Nihlus said as he enlarged the second planets image, a volcanic red hellscape of a place. "It seems after being hit by the Prothean beacon I have some sort of message from it stuck in my head. I cannot make sense of it however, and an old Asari friend of mine was not able to help due to a lack of historic information. She figured I would need an Asari expert on the Protheans to make sense of the message, and considering that both Saren and I were hit by the same wave, I believe he should have the same message in his head. He may try to figure it out as well to gain some sort of edge on us."

"So you want to hunt down an Asari expert on the Protheans to see if the beacons message does give an edge or not then, right?" Desolas asked calmly.

"That is correct. The expert in question is a Doctor Liara T'soni, the daughter of Matriatch Benezia, someone whom a few years ago, Saren was reported to be in continued contact with. She may be related to him in some way as well, though that is not as likely as she being able to help sort out the message that is now stuck in my head."

"I' m . . . not sure if that's-,"

"No. It's a fine lead, I think," Desolas interrupted Adaaya, giving her a look she recognized that made her simply nod and not continue her thoughts. "So it's a science lab owned by Saren, or a lead on the Prothean beacon. What's our lead then?"

Adaaya nodded and tapped on her wristcomp, prompting Nihlus to get rid of his hologram just as a new one appeared, a planet that was green and grey. "It might be a longshot as it's not directly connected, but apparently an independent council colony on Feros went dark just yesterday after reports of strange machines, and sightings of Batarian ships in the area."

"That wasn't handed to us from Konpaku?" Desolas asked, getting a shake of Adaaya head as a response.

"Were you expecting to have another lead?" Nihlus asked as he looked over the image of Feros. He had never been there, and had heard that it had gone dark, but not the rest of the information.

Desolas nodded but only sighed before glancing up at Nihlus and Adaaya. "So, we've got three leads. Which should we tell Joker to head to?"

"Well, personally I think that lab sounds suspicious, but so does that colony," Adaaya said shrugging her wings.

"I'd like to find Doctor T'soni if possible, but I do agree that the colony could be in trouble and it would, what is that human saying, leave a bad smell of the mouth?"

"That'd be a bad taste in your mouth," Desolas corrected as he thought for a second, oblivious to the two staring at him. "To start, why don't we find that doctor? If Saren has the same message you do, he'll probably be looking to make sense of it as well considering that he had attacked Eden to get at it in the first place."

"Hrrrmmm, I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure an Eezo blooded Asari will be of much use," Adaaya grumbled mostly to herself.

"Let's not be mean when she is not around to defend herself," Nihlus said with a sigh, glancing at the door to the room. "By the way, was it a good idea to leave your crew with the mercenary you picked up, and the Citadel investigator as well?"

"It should be fine. They all will be going planet side on missions with us, so they need to know each other's names at the very least," Desolas said before smirking. "And I doubt they can cause that much trouble, they'll be too interested in Williams and Zorah."

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"So, this is an Alliance ship, huh? It's just as shiny and uncomfortable as I'd heard," a large and scarred Krogan known as Urdnot Wrex said as he looked around the main crew area of the Normandy.

"That's because you're a biotic, put your bloody bracelet on!" Kaiden said irritably as he and Ashley walked past Wrex into the crew area, taking seats at the closest table.

"I don't see how this is supposed to make things less uncomfortable," Wrex grumbled as he stared at the thin band of silver he had been given just as he had boarded the ship.

"It's not. It supposed to stop you from being effected by ambient magic, or so they say," Garrus Vakerian said as he walked up beside Wrex and looked around the crew area with interest. A second later he casually walked into the area and took a sat at the same table, albeit far enough away from Kaiden and Ashley to not be uncomfortable.

Wrex scowled at the sight before him. Most Turians were annoying, as were most C-Sec officers, but this one was worse, he was part of C-Secs investigations department. The name sounded weak, like a bunch that simply looked over facts. the truth of the matter however was that C-Secs investigators were their best people, often given a measure of lenience to get things done as long as they discovered ample evidence to put people away, often for very long periods of time. As a mercenary Wrex had had some slight dealing with them in the past, but his own information from the Shadow broker told things differently. They pointed to Vakerian as one of C-secs absolute best marksmen, and an investigator who played by even less rules and had put a lot more criminals away than most did. His total was supposedly nearing the triple digits, and that was solely on his own. The fact that the Council wanted him here made things complicated.

"So, going to come sit down?" Garrus said as he looked at Wrex with a casual look.

Wrex didn't trust it, but there was no way someone being casual was going to make him look like the pathetic one. If it came to it he could just kill the Turian, nice and simple. "Yeah, yeah, learn some patience, Turian!" Wrex responded as he came over and dropped himself on a bench, being surprised when it did not budge in the slightest under his weight.

"What's wrong, all those flecks of metal in your hide making you worry about your weight?" Garrus then said with a chuckle before he leaned a bit toward Wrex. "So, I have to ask, what are you here for? I'm here for the council and as Nihlus's liaison and support, but what about you?"

"Humph, not that it matters to you, but I wanted in on hunting down Saren, and I gave the Operatives a lead that could lead to him," Wrex said simply, leaving out the fact that the lead was from the Shadow broker, and that he was being paid by him to accompany them on their mission.

"Here's a better question for both of you," Ashley suddenly spoke up, a devious grin covering her face. "Can you fight?"

"HA! Can we fight she asks!" Wrex bellowed. "I'm a Krogan who's older than anyone you could know, and you ask me if I can fight?"

"Alliance Intel shared with the council says there are many that are easily over a thousand years old. Ambassador Flandre is apparently over five hundred years old," Garrus said, seeming to dull Wrexs words slightly as he looked straight at Ashley and choosing to ignore the slight point in her glare. "To answer your question, yes, we both can fight. I cannot speak for the merc, but as a C-Sec investigator I'm trained in all weapons and specialise in sniper rifles, best shot of any officer on the Citadel!"

"I'm a Krogan, nuff said," Wrex said, refusing to say more as he looked at Kaiden and Ashley, again noting to himself that they both looked far too young. "What about you two then, huh? Are you not a little small to be fighting?"

"Please, I had to be able to fly under mach one while dodging more shots than you could count by the time I was eight. My mother is one of the most feared Youkai around, and while I'm not as powerful, I'm more than enough to deal with threats from the Council!" Ashley gloated with a grin.

Kaiden simply sighed. "I'm a magician and some call me a prodigy. I've completed all my training and combat training and have been on numerous successful missions already."

"Which would be easier to tell if you learned to stop getting stuck under machinery, Kaiden!" came a new, female voice. Garrus and Wrex turned toward it to find a white skinned, thin alien walking toward them in gear that was both very alien, and seemed similar to something they had seen before. The aliens glowing eyes and soft features were strange, but the way she held herself was just as strange, full of respect, but as if it was being repressed.

". . . What the hell are you?" Wrex asked first, unable to contain his curiosity. Despite the aliens thin frame, he could see agility within it, and the sword on her hip caught his interest as well.

"Keelah, I knew this would happen!" She swore as she sat down at the table and crossed her arms over her modest chest. "Tali'Zorah is my name. I'm a Quarian, you Bosh'tet!"

"Wait, if you're a Quarian, why are you not in your suit?" Garrus asked curiously as he gazed at Tali's face. It was after all common knowledge that Quarians could not be out of their suits or they would die.

"Ah, so the Alliance fiddled and fixed you, did they?" Wrex guessed, getting a nod of confirmation from Tali. "I heard that those Krogan who joined the Alliance got altered but I wasn't sure what to think. Curing the Genophage is a big thing, but the other parts about altering how we breed, it's not right."

"Think what you will, I've met many Krogan who are quite happy with the alterations to themselves. And before you ask, I'm trained in close range tech support at the top of my class. This mission is counting toward my pilgrimage!" Tali stated proudly.

"So you're just a youngling barely out of the nest too. You're all too young to be of any use!" Wrex stated seriously as he slammed a fist against the table just as the ship itself shuddered slightly, making Wrex slightly nauseas for just a second. "Why are you even here when there are others better suited to this?!"

"Because we chose them to be our team!" Desolas said loudly as he, Adaaya and Nihlus came into the room, drawing everyone's attention to them as he stormed over and stopped a bare meter away from the table, and Wrex. "Your lead may have gotten you on the team, merc, but if you become a problem there are two ways we could easily deal with you. The airlock, or dropping you off on Tuchunka naked!"

"Just try it, Turian!" Wrex growled as he glowered at Desolas, who barely reacted whatsoever.

"If you don't cause a problem and listen to orders, I doubt we'll have a problem," Adaaya said as she walked across the room and tapped something, causing the lights to dim just before a hologram of a planet appear. "We're on route to this planet, Therum. There's supposedly a Prothean expert who can assist us in figuring out details related to the Protheans, as it is possible that Saren is looking for information connected to it because of the Prothean beacon that was destroyed."

"Therum is a volcanic world that is primarily used for mining by some various council companies. Heat resistant and breathing equipment will be needed in case the worst happens," Nihus then explained quickly.

"Exactly, those who cannot simply deal with the heat should check their equipment before we arrive in about one hour," Adaaya continued as she glanced at Garrus and Wrex, and then to Tali. "Tali, help our two council helpers augment or check their equipment before we arrive please."

"Understood."

"Uh, I know this might be a bad time to say it, but the only gun I have with me is my incisor, and its Eezo based. Will that be a problem?"

"It shouldn't be as long as the fighting is not too tight," Desolas said as he glanced at Wrex, "Though we will ask you to keep a reign on your Biotics." Wrex grumbled but said nothing. "We'll be at the planet in less than an hour. Be ready to deploy ten minutes before so we can brief you on how this will go!"

As the three of them left the room Tali let out a grumble. "Alright, if I have to fix your equipment your coming with me to get your weapons checked over too!"

"Well, I'm out, have fun boys!" Ashley suddenly said as she got up from the table and left the room, followed by Kaiden who gave a strange, almost worried look to Wrex and Garrus.

"What's their problem?" Wrex asked, getting and equally confused look from Garrus.

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"Where the hell are they?" Adaaya grumble as she, Nihlus and Desolas stood in the Normandy's landing bay with Kaiden and Ashley there in their full gear.

"T-Tali said they'd be here in a minute," Kaiden coughed out.

"Calm down. Tali's good enough that she won't have a problem," Desolas chided Adaaya, causing Nihlus to take a step forward.

"I noticed before, and back on Eden Prime, but that Quarian, is there something wrong with her?"

"No, but she's had some, interesting training," Desolas said with a chuckle as he turned to Nihlus. "When the Quarins joined the Alliance many joined out military. About half found it too hard, and she was one of the youngest to join, arguing that it was her right. She took to the tech work amazingly well, and she turned out to be very skilled at assault/support tactics. She's combined them both to be a bit-"

Desolas stopped as the door to the bay opened and Wrex and Garrus walked in in full gear, followed by Tali wearing a suit that was bulkier than a Krogan. It consisted of a framework around her back, shoulders and waist like an exo-suit, but was wrapped around her forearms and lower legs in full plating. In a holster of her right leg was a stumpy looking rifle, clearly Alliance in design, while on her left armored vambrace was an opening complete with a vent, making it clear that it was some form of improvised or built in weapon system.

"That's quite the exo-suit . . . It is an exo-suit, right?" Nihlus asked quietly as Tali, took position standing beside Ashley, and Wrex and Garrus also took a spot away from her.

"It is . . . Tali is also very . . . nearly violent on the right way to clean and take care of equipment outside of missions. That combined with the exo-suit she designed, she can seem a little forceful and pushy to some people. But you'll see once we're on the ground," Desolas said as he took a step forward. "Alright, Joker has us just about in position at the Doctor's camp, but apparently there are ships on the ground near it, Batarian in designs. The landing zone will likely be hot, so for those new to how our operations work, I'll give everyone a refresher. There will be two teams, assault and support. The assault team will push forward as fast as possible, taking out anyone who gets in the way. The support team's job is to act as support; sniping and taking out opportunity targets, as well as finishing off those left behind. Alliance tactics are all about speed and force, what we call a Blitzkrieg, regardless of which force you are with your body will be pushed to levels you likely have not had to deal with before. Now, Adaaya and I will lead the assault force, while Ashley will be leading the support force," Desolas explained as he glanced at Garrus and Wrex. "Where do the two of you think you will be able to keep up?"

"Ha, you need to ask? Right, up, front!" Wrex said with a smile.

"I'll take support, I'm better in the back," Garrus said as he checked his sniper rifle and ignored Ashley's chuckle, a chuckle that quickly earned her nudge in the side from Kaiden.

"Very well, what about you?" Desolas said as he glanced to Nihlus.

"Well, I doubt I could move on my own for this, so I'll tagalong with you and see you two in action I suppose," Nihlus said replied heartily, making Adaaya let out a grin.

"Good, then we can see if you can keep-," Adaaya was interrupted when the entire ship suddenly shook, making her throw a hand to an ear. "Joker! What the hell is going on!?"

"Sorry, we're over the LZ, but the Batarian ships seem to have unloaded a bunch of mobile low altitude guns. Loaded them with disruptor rounds too, so they are not paying nice with our shields! Time to go!"

In that same moment the rear door to the bay began sliding open, and the sound of AA fire ripped through the air.

"See you down there!" Adaaya exclaimed before she ran at the open door and leapt out, making Garrus, Nihlus, and even Wrex gape in surprise.

"Does she have a deathwish!?" Garrus asked as Kaiden, Tali and Ashley did a last check on their gear and latched their weapons to their suits.

"She has wings for a reason. For those that cannot fly, you'll see a bar with lines on them at the end of the bay, grab one and then slide down it to the ground, we'll see you down there," Desolas explained before he turned, gave a wave and ran to the end and jumped out of sight just like Adaaya had.

"Do you need me to explain that to you, again?" Tali asked as she turned to Garrus and Wrex, sonding slightly annoyed. She had made it clear she didn't like their equipment earlier, and it seemed to be painting her opinions.

"Explain it as we go!" Nihlus stated as he began jogging toward the open end of the bay, quickly followed by Kaiden and Ashley, then Tali, Wrex and Garrus. As they reached the end of the bay, a bar extended away from the floor and a dozen different thick cables dropped out of it. Without missing a beat he leapt down and grabbed one of the cables, sliding down with surgical and professional skills.

"See, its simple, jump, grab, slide. Simple." Ashley said to Wrex as she let herself fall backwards out of the opening and wrapped her ankles around a cable instead of her hands."

"Ignore her, she's showing off," Tali said with a shake of his head as Kaiden jumped and slid down, leaving the three of them in the bay as AA caused the ships shields to flash and shimmer.

"Okay, I know you're all crazy now . . . and so am I it seems," Garrus said as he took a few steps back, then ran off the edge, almost missing his cable as he slid down.

Wrex looked at Tali and then at the cable. "Will that thing hold my weight?"

Tali shrugged. "It holds my armours. C'mon, otherwise we'll miss the fun!" She declared as she hopped down and grabbed a cable, the entire beam groaning slightly.

Wrex glared at it for a good few seconds before letting out an annoyed sigh. "Should've known this job was too good considering its pay. I'll kill whoever payed the Shadowbroker to force this mission on me!"

A few seconds he was sliding down the cable, the whirr of the Normandy's engines merging with the sound of accelerator and disruptor fire exploding against its shield. Some shots even went by him, a couple stray small arms shots pinging against his armour.

As he landed with a crack on the hard volcanic earth Wrex took in a deep breath and let it out, reveling in the smell of battle joined as he looked up to see the situation. Lying on the ground around him were a half dozen Batarians with either body parts slashed off or their armour collapsed inwards. Straight ahead, between the main Batarian wall of enemies and them was a single wall of metal that looked like it had been flash forged there, some of its edges looking half melted as accelerator fire and rockets slammed into it. What surprised him the most however was that everyone was behind the metal wall, keeping a bit of a distance away from Desolas, who had arcs of electricity coming away from him as he had a hand against the metal.

"About time you got down here. Let's get this party started!" Adaaya declared, causing Ashley to pull out her absurdly large gun, while Kaiden and Tali seemed to simply ready themselves.

"Wrex, Garrus, Nihlus, I'll be dropping this, so get ready to move. Don't stop moving, and kill anyone who gets in your way!" Desolas said as he looked back at them.

"Hehe, think about who you're talking too!" Wrex remarked, earning a grin from Desolas.

Suddenly, the entire wall seemed to liquefy as the sound of accelerator fire lessened. The liquid metal warped and shaped itself into a veritable wall of metal blades, right before they all were propelled forward by some unseen force up the ridge. Dozens of Batarians screamed as they were suddenly impaled, their steaming weapons falling the ground.

It was at this point that all hell broke loose. Desolas and Adaaya both rushed forward with speed that no one else could match and struck the remains of the Batarian first line like a meteor. Adaaya simply slammed Batarians aside, their crushed chest pieces telling of the damage to their bodies, while Desolas was both electrocuting them and using a pair of floating metal blades to cut through hem as if their armour was made of paper. What was most terrifying though was that the Batarians accelerator fire simply bounced off of their barriers, and that they were not taking out everyone, instead taking out only a few then pushing deeper and continuing.

Wrex and Nihlus, who were behind them and struggling to keep up, reached the shattered first line of Batarians a full five seconds after Adaaya and Desolas had left it and were moving onto the third. Nihlus was using his own rifle, a Phaeston that appeared to be heavily customized, and was gunning down any Batarians that took notice of him. Wrex on the other hand was gleefully moving toward any Batarians between him and the frontline, crashing onto them with either his shotgun or his own head plate. One Batarian who somehow survived Adaaya punching him in the chest had gotten up, only to have Wrex slam into him and trample him under his feet.

Wrex glanced to the side to see Nihlus slam the butt of his rifle into a Batarian and move forward, leaving the stunned Batarian on the ground. Looking ahead he could see Adaaya and Desolas already in the centre of the Batarian camp, a large AA gun of shoddy Batarian make slowly turning down to aim at them. Letting out a roar he rushed forward, knocking aisle any Batarian that got to close to him until he was in the centre of the Batarian camp as well. He tried rushing toward the AA gun, but as he did, a pair of deep crimson beams lanced through the air and melted holes in the gun, causing it to explode in a fireball, its wreckage blowing apart a nearby fuel tank and taking a trio of Batarians with it.

Looking behind Wrex could see the support group quickly catching up. Ashley was firing her beam cannon and vaporing Batarians in sweeps, while Kaiden was letting a pistol bark as he sent waves of magic that knocked Batarians down and kept them there. Tali and her exo-suit were doing work as well. On one arm she had a laser rifle with three barrels that was letting out a withering amount of fire, while on the other arm she had a blade coming out of the mount, and was using it to impale and finish off those on the ground. He couldn't see the other Turian, but just as he looked around a mass accelerator round zinged past his head and stuck the skull of a Batarian that had tried coming up behind him. Wrex looked at the dead Batarians and then glanced back at the support, quickly finding the Turian to one side with his rifle out, a smug grin on his face.

"Show off," Wrex muttered as he took his shotgun in one hand and fired off to the side, blowing a wounded Batarian to pieces.

By this point the Batarians that were left were by no means organized and were quickly dispatched by either blade or bullet. Some tried running to one of the two landed Batarian destroyers, but as they did either Ashley cut the landing gears with her beam cannon, or Desolas electrocuted the whole ship. It was brutal but highly effective, something Wrex could admire, but something that Nihlus clearly did not.

"Was electrocuting them to death truly necessary?" Nihlus asked as everyone began gathering at a large structure with a doorway against the rock face, clearly some sort of entryway into the dig site.

"No, but it was the simplest way to make sure we got them all. There could have been some inside the ship. We don't want to get flanked from behind," Desolas said just as Adaaya began hammering the circular door with her fists, putting massive dent in it until it finally gave away, tearing out and talking its frame with it, a heap of tangled metal on the ground.

"Doors open!" Adaaya called as she turned around and smirked at how Nihlus and Wrex were holding up. Nihlus was breathing deeply, but doing a good job of making it look like he wasn't very tired. Wrex on the other hand, was clearly tired, but did not look like he cared; in fact it looked like he was enjoying it! On the other hand, the Citadel investigator Garrus was panting heavily, while his own people were only slightly.

"That isn't, isn't a reason to fry a whole ship. There could have been data on it that we could have used," Nihlus replied to Desolas, having been slightly surprised when Adaaya had called out.

"Perhaps, but this is not the time or place, Spectre. If you want to complain about how we do things, then do it when we get back on the ship, not when we are on a mission!" Desolas declared as he turned to everyone else. "Alright, good job everyone, but now we're going underground and our regular advance tactic could slow. We'll head in single file, twin file if the tunnels allow. No sounds above a whisper if it can be helped until we know what enemies may be inside."

"We'll take point. Tali, I want you and Kaiden at the back keeping your eyes open, understood?" Adaaya spoke up, getting affirmative nods from both Kaiden and Tali. "Good, let's go!"

Outside it had been hot due to the planets molten and volcanic nature, but inside the tunnel the heat boiled up feverishly. The reddish brown rocks were warm to the touch and looking further down the tunnel allowed anyone to see the heat ahead of them. A simple metal walkway went down to provide a stable footing, and after a couple dozen meters the tunnel expanded into a large cavern with a white stone tower set into the stone at its far end. The walkway went straight across to the tower with what appeared to be a simple elevator in the middle that went to walkways further down, but it looked like many had collapsed.

Looking over the walkways railing Nihlus could see a blue glow coming from the white tower further down, and could also see movement on the cavern floor below. Looking through his rifle scope he could see Batarians moving about, seeming to be repairing something, or perhaps taking something apart. "Batarians below, with machinery."

"I see them," Desolas replied quietly, not looking through a rifle or anything, making Nihlus wonder just how good his eyesight was. "Keep eyes on them, just in case they see us," Desolas suddenly stated as both he and Adaaya leapt over the railings and maneuvered down to the walkway below, making surprisingly little sound.

Nihlus, knowing he would not be able to do the same as quietly stepped up to the elevator and found that it was at the bottom, leaving its cable out in the open. Grabbing it Nihlus slid down to the third walkway down, the one adjacent to the glowing wall on the old sunken tower. Landing on the walkway made a bit of noise but the Batarians below, who now could be heard yelling and ordering each other around, did not seem to notice. A second later Adaaya and Desolas swung down and landed soundlessly ahead of him.

"Move, Turian," Wrex grumbled from behind Nihlus, causing him to take a few steps forward and allowing Wrex to get off the cable from following his lead.

"The others coming down?" Nihlus asked quietly as he looked past Adaaya and Desolas to see there appeared to be a bipedal figure behind the shimmering blue screen on the tower wall.

"Tali's too heavy, so they are probably going to wait until we're a bit away from the elevator to call it up," Adaaya said with a shrug as she looked down the walkway at the wall of blue energy. "So, energy shield?"

"Probably, let's take a look," Nihlus replied as he brushed past Adaaya and Desolas, who was making a hand motion to the three above them.

As they got closer a form behind the wall of energy could be seen. A ball of darker blue energy, holding a single Asari who floated within it, her arms and legs splayed out like an animal ready for dissection. She looked distressed, and as soon as she saw them walking towards her called out to them. Loudly.

"Please help me, I'm trapped!"

"Quiet! Do you want the-," Desolas began to say until he was stopped by accelerator fire began pinging off the walkway, railing, and stones around them.

"They heard her, know we're here now," Wrex said in annoyance as he crouched behind a damaged crate, the shotgun in his hand worthless as the range they were being shot at.

The sound of a rifle report caught everyone's attention, just as a large blocky object fell down from above and crashed into the ground below with a clatter. Nearly all gunfire ceased, and then came again with renewed fury as Tali opened fire, supported by fire from above, courtesy of Garrus, Kaiden and Ashley.

"Looks like they have the Batarians covered," Nihlus muttered as he looked through his scope and let a round fly into a Batarians throat. He looked like a commander, and as he went down, the Batarians seemed to lose cohesion and began getting torn apart as beams, lasers and bolts of energy broke apart their stony pieces of cover.

"Good, now we can deal with this problem," Desolas growled as he walked right up to the blue wall of energy and punched it, creating an odd hollow sound. "I understand that you are trapped, but did you have to alert those Batarians? If we didn't have others with us, we'd be getting shot at from range just because you got a little bit excited!"

The Asari seemed taken aback at Desolas words, but her eyes also looked him up and down and stayed wide. "I, uh, Turian?" She asked in confusion.

"She clearly has been through a lot, you don't need to be so aggressive," Nihlus said as he walked up to the barrier but did not touch it upon seeing Desolas's claws seeming to steam slightly. "Nihlus, Kyrik, special tactics and reconnaissance. Are you Doctor Liara T'soni?"

"A Spectre! Thank the Goddess! Yes, that is me. It's so good you've come, I was starting to think those Batarians would get me!"

"Only thing they are getting is faces full of lasers," Adaaya said with a chuckle as she stood a bit further back on the edge of the railing, where she and Wrex were now watching the slaughter below.

"I, who, wings?" Liara stuttered in confusion at the sight of Adaaya.

"Ignore her for a second, okay?" Nihlus asked hopefully. "Can you tell us how you got here?"

"O-of course. When the Batarian cruiser appeared and began firing at our buildings, this cavern where most of our excavation has been occurring was the safest place to go. This tower is Prothean, though we're not sure what its purpose is. When I got here, some Batarians came in, so I tried to get the barrier door up. However, I touched something else as well, and got stuck in this containment bubble," Liara explained quickly.

"I see. How many are still alive from your team? Do you know what the Batarians want?" Nihlus asked as Desolas backed up from the barrier and thrust an arm out toward the cavern below, a bolt of electricity arcing down and throwing a Batarian with a rocket launcher a good ten feet backwards into a wall.

"L-lighting?"

"Liara, focus please," Nihlus chided as he sidestepped to be between Liara and her sight of Desolas.

"Oh, sorry. My, my team had seven people, three Asari, three Salarian and a Turian. The Batarians, they shot any but Asari on sight, and demanded my coworkers names. When they were not mine, they shot them too. That was when I ran and got stuck here. They came up and demanded my name, when I told them they smiled, said they had plans for me."

"Did they say what they were or who led them?"

"No, but when they couldn't get in they began looking around and went to the cavern below, probably for the mining explosives, or our mining laser I would guess."

Suddenly the sound of a loud beam cut through the air, and the entire cavern shook for a moment, followed by the sound of laser fire and an explosion.

"Th-that was the mining laser it sounded like!" Liara exclaimed in worry.

"Its fine, it probably went off when someone hit it with a weapon.

"Looks like a Batarian was fixing it in combat," Wrex said loudly enough for Nihlus to hear him. "Took a laser to the side to turn it on, then got hit in the head, the fool."

"No! That very bad!" Liara exclaimed now sounding frantic. "We hoped to burrow into a lower chamber of this tower, but this planet is seismically active still! If it was aimed wrong, or the wrong power output used it could-," Liara was stopped as the entire cavern shook again, dust and small rocks and debris falling from the ceiling, pinging off the walkway. "Cause a seismic event."

The entire cavern rumbled again, making Adaaya jump backwards back onto the walkway. "Huh, so we're inside a volcano right now then. Cool!"

"Not cool, Krogan are tough, but not bath in lava tough!" Wrex growled as he glanced down to see Tali trudging over to the elevator, not a single Batarian alive below them. "Caverns clear, are we moving or what?"

"We need to get the doctor out!" Nihlus called in annoyance as he looked the barrier over? "How can we shut this down?"

"I'm not sure, there's a control panel just to my side, but without getting to it. . . . ."

"Just blow the wall," Desolas said as he began walking down the walkway further away.

"I would if I could!" Nihlus yelled as he turned around to see Adaaya flying in the air above them by a stalactite.

"Not you, her. Back away if you value your life!" Desolas said as he crouched behind a box, quickly being followed by Wrex.

Nihlus rushed over as well, his instincts telling him it was the best idea, and as soon as he was away, Adaaya somehow bolted through the air faster than an accelerator round and crashed into not the barrier, but the stone around it on the left side. When he looked, Nihlus found a large hole in the stone, and the barrier flickering a few timed before it dissipated. A sSecond later Adaaya came out from behind the broken wall, twirling her fists with an annoyed look on her face.

"Remind me not to punch Prothean buildings too often. Things are bloody solid," She muttered as she walked over to the nearby console and then kicked it off the ground and into a nearby wall.

"Ow," Liara groaned as she fell and hit the stone below her, the field around her gone like the console it was connected to. As she got up she looked at the console and then at Adaaya, her face filling with anger. "How could you do that? You just destroyed a millennia old piece of Prothean technology that could have been studied! You just broke the wall of a Prothean ruins just as old!"

Adaaya turned to Liara as the building shook again; depositing dust onto everyone and making her shake it off her wings, making them look far larger. "I don't care about Prothean ruins, but if it is such a problem for you, perhaps I should have left you there to be taken by the lava when this place erupts!"

Liara shrunk as she took a nervous step back away from Adaaya while, at the same time, Nihlus walked up to her and glanced at Adaaya in annoyance. "There is no purpose behind terrifying people! I apologize for that, doctor; it seems Alliance operatives lacks something."

"Hmph, she better be useful to you, Spectre," Adaaya scoffed as she turned and walked away, down the walkway, smacking a boulder thrice her size away as it tried to fall upon her head.

"Right, we should follow, unless you like lava!" Desolas yelled at Nihlus as Wrex began following Adaaya out as the entire cavern began to shake loudly.

"We need to leave, follow me closely, okay?" Nihlus said to Liara. As soon as she nodded he grabbed her by the arm and began rushing for the exit, finding Adaaya and Wrex nearly there. Desolas was helping Tali climb up over the last railing in her large mechanized suit, aided by Ashley and Garrus while Kaiden was holding up a section of collapsed ceiling above them. As soon as they were on the walkway and everyone past him, Kaiden moved and let go of his concentration. The stones and boulders crashed down, crushing the walkway elevator and breaking sections of walkway.

"Ah!" Liara exclaimed as she and Nihlus were suddenly catapulted forward by some kind of force off the last section of walkway and onto the stone of the tunnel that led up. When they looked behind them they found Kaiden climbing up the broken stone, the last of the walkway they had been on having collapsed just as he had sent them flying. "Here, let me help!"

"No, thank you. I'm fine, and respectfully, neither of us wants to go through decontamination," Kaiden said as he pulled himself up and glanced behind him, seeing magma burst out of a crack in a nearby wall. "Keep moving, now!"

"He's right, go. We're right behind you!" Nilhus said as he pulled Kaiden up from his knees, the two of them following Liara up the mining shaft as painful quantities of heat and gas began billowing past them like the breath of a great beast.

Breaking free of the cavern and leaving through the main entranceway, Nihlus found the Normandy hovering disturbingly close to them with its landing cables hanging down just a few dozen meters away from them. Adaaya and Desolas were already in the ships bay and were forcibly yanking cables up, speeding up the ascension of Wrex and Tali who were holding on for dear life while Garrus and Ashley were shimmying up the cables on their own.

As Nihlus and Kaiden ran, quickly catching up with Liara, a ridge to their left suddenly exploded, sending volcanic debris and ash all across the area as a river of lava began pouring out of it, flowing with a speed that made Nihlus's heart race in terror.

"Spirits, get up the cables!" He yelled as Liara and him grabbed onto the closest cables and began trying to climb up them. Then, much to his surprise, Kaiden grabbed both of their cables and began floating upward, his expression telling them that both of their weights was a strain for him.

The lava got closer and the Normandy began to rise, panicking Liara to tighten her grip and stop moving. Nihlus glanced down to see the lava flow below them, singing the end of one cable just before it began lifting up faster. Glancing back up he found not just Kaiden, but Ashley and Garrus now up and pulling them up.

"Um, my grip, I, I can't keep holding much longer!" Liara said in terror.

"Just a few seconds more, they've almost have us up!" Nihlus called to her, just as her cable reached the top, allowing Wrex to help lift her up, much to her own surprise.

"Oh, uh, hello." Liara said uncertainly as Wrex held her by the wrist, dangling her over the lava below.

"Asari," he said as he backed up, taking her with him.

A second later Desolas reached down and grabbed Nihlus, pulling him up with an ease that had to be aided by magic. "Having fun yet?" Desolas asked with an otherworldly grin.

"Oh yes, now I can add running from lava to the list of ridiculous things being a spectre has made me do," Nihlus replied with a forced laugh that turned into a cough from his dry throat. As he stood up a loud click echoed through the bay and the door behind them began to close, the remaining cables spinning back up into their holders.

"Good, it only gets better from here," Desolas said as he glanced around, seeing everyone either standing up, or staying lying on the ground to rest. It wasn't every day that you ran from a volcano after all. Well, unless you were one of those youkai. "Yo, Joker, we're all good here, take us back into orbit while we prepare our newest guest."

"Understood. Also, way to cut it close, lava tends to melt hull even if it's magically forged!" Joker's response came back over the intercom.

"Yeah yeah, the ship is fine, just get us off this rock," Adaaya barked back at him with a grumble as she walked over to a locker and began rummaging through it. Finding what she was after she pulled a small black case out and tossed it over to Nihlus, who caught with a confused look. "She's your Asari, make sure she puts it on. Debrief in an hour in the meeting room."

" . . . . What in the spirits name is her problem?" Nihlus muttered as Adaaya left the room, both Wrex and Garrus having similar expressions on their faces.

"Don't let it bother you. I'll deal with it," Desolas said as he began walking to the door Adaaya left through, only to stop halfway and to turn back to everyone. "Oh, I think she was serious when she said debrief in an hour, I'd suggest using that time to stow tour gear and take a shower."

"That, sounds like a very good idea," Liara said, sounding extremely exhausted.

"I know, right? Kaiden, Ashley, please make sure they know where the showers are, and no tricking anyone into the decontamination shower!" Desolas said before he turned and left, following after Adaaya.

By the time Desolas caught up Adaaya was in the common room, and had just broken one of the training dummies, knocking it right off its pedestal. "I take it you don't like Nihlus's little contact to delve down the Prothean rabbit hole?" Desolas asked.

Adaaya smirked slightly. "Looks like that binge of classic human literature did its job. But no, I do not. The whole idea of one of those blind blue bitches pisses me off!"

"It's more than that though, right?" Desolas asked as he walked over and leaned against a wall.

Adaaya nodded. "I got her out, I saved her life, the least she could do was say thank you like a decent person, but instead she complained about of bunch of stone. Stone that is now buried under molten rock! I risked contamination breaking that wall considering how Prothean stuff has Eezo all over it, and she's more worried about a wall!"

Desolas chuckled slightly. "You're forgetting that she's an Asari. They consider themselves higher than other races. That and they think the Alliance is too aggressive, I think."

"Every council race should think that with how Yukari and the other two act toward them," Adaaya said before sighing. "Ugh, I'm making this worse than it needs to be. Blue bitch won't be joining us on missions anyway, so I shouldn't let her bother me."

"No, you shouldn't. On the upside, that mission went well, don't you think?"

"It was hardly even a mission by our standards; it took us what, an hour at most?" Adaaya asked sounding utterly annoyed. "I barely worked up a sweat!"

"True, but it was a good show of what they can do. The Krogan and the non-Spectre Turian managed to keep up with us rather well."

"I expected a Krogan to keep up well enough; the investigator was a surprise though. We'll have to-"

"Sorry to interrupt, oh punchy and zappy bosses, but we've got a problem," suddenly came Jokers voice in the room, loud and ever so slightly worried.

"What is it then, clown?" Desolas replied with a smirk.

"Ooh, that'd hurt, but I do so like to make children smile so much!" Joker responded sarcastically. "A ship just came around from the dark side of the planet as we left its atmosphere. Asari cruiser by its design, and bearing the signal of a Spectre's personal ship. Their demanding we hold position and allow boarding for, and I quote, to discuss the transfer of an important individual for safekeeping.'"

"That's . . . odd," Desolas said as he thought over the wording. "Did they specify who?"

"No, that's all they said. Oh, and that if we didn't hold position for that boarding we'd be considered a 'danger to the Citadel and destroyed,' as if they could catch us!"

"Sounds like they want a fight then!" Adaaya declared happily as she slammed her fists together.

"No wait, you said it had the signal saying it was a Spectre's personal ship?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because since Nihlus is with us, they should have no rights to make any form of demands from us. I'll go fetch him, Adaaya-,"

"I'll go gather the others, that is if they haven't already stripped and gotten into the showers," Adaaya said as she nearly flew out of the room, the height of the ceiling being the only thing stopping her wings from fully spreading.

Before the door could close behind her Desolas was following, heading for the room that Nihlus was using. Reaching the door Desolas punched in the override and entered as the door opened.

Finding Nihlus and Liara standing the middle of the room, Liara's eyes completely black.

"Of course, he did want to figure out those visions, but damn the timing!" Desolas grumbled as he stood there waiting, watching as Liara's expression shifted from wonder to utter and complete horror and fear, then to confusion.

"Uh, sir?" Joker asked through Desolas's earpiece.

"What is it, Joker?" Desolas asked quietly, knowing that interrupting an Asari melding was usually a bad idea for both parties involved.

"The Asari cruiser has shopped at twelve kliks away and are aiming at us with their spinal accelerator, and it's charged. They are demanding we power down weapons and allow a shuttle to land in our hanger for boarding and the talks they mentioned."

"Spirits, tell them you're waiting on conformation, should give me a few seconds," Desolas replied as he closed the line and looked back at Nihlus and Liara, just in time for their melding to stop.

"Goddess, that was, I sort of knew what to expect but, I did not believe the images would be so vivid!" Liara exclaimed, looking similar to some people did the first time they got high off a magic burst.

"So, what do you make of it?" Nihlus asked hopefully.

"I'm not sure, the images are, fragmented. Beacons are meant for Prothean minds, and the few discovered have been said to be hard to decipher, but, I think the one you interfaced with must have been damaged somehow, the message is not clear, or all there."

"Yeah, throwing it around with a crane does that I'm told," Desolas suddenly spoke up, causing both Liara to jump in fear, and Nihlus to immediately pull out a knife.

"What in the spirits are you doing!?" Nihlus demanded as soon as he saw it was Desolas.

"We've got a problem. An Asari cruiser with weapons ready, demanding we lower weapons, stay still and submit to being boarded on a Spectres authority. Apparently they want a certain individual of importance or something like that."

"What? I informed the council of my intent to go with you, so there should be no one who should get in the way. Which Spectre is it?"

"They did not say."

"What ship then? What's its name?"

"Joker, what's the ships name, audio to Nihlus's cabin.

"Understood. The ships named the "Goddesses Whisper," Jokers voice file the cabin, making Nihlus heave a sigh.

"Spirits, that's Tela Vasir's Ship. Even if I tried talking with her over the ships comms she won't back down. I'd bet she's the one who hired the Batarians to go after Liara!

"What?!" Liara exclaimed in surprise.

Desolas however, merely shifted his stance a bit. "How do you figure?"

"There's no proof, but many of us think she works for the Shadow broker. And there are many pieces of information pointing to the fact that she has far more money than most Spectres, which point to possible underhanded dealings."

"What would you suggest then?" Desolas asked curiously.

"We'll need to meet her to see what she wants, just know that she does not like the Alliance, and will be armed."

"Ha, she better be. She'll be boarding our ship by a shuttle, and if she tries anything we'll just kick her out of the airlock!"

"But, she' a Spectre, you can't do that!" Liara suddenly said.

Desolas looked to Liara, noticing a worried, but strangely defiant look in her eyes. "I think you misunderstand her, Doctor T'soni. She is making demands of a sovereign Alliance ship. If she pisses us off, we can make up or find a multitude of reason to do exactly that, or worse to her. And if she tries to use Biotics, I'll tear her limbs off, sear the wounds closed and toss her into the void myself!" Desolas declared viciously, arcs of electricity jumping between his fringes and making Liara step back nervously.

"That will not be necessary, and I must insist you do not attempt to take the life of another Spectre, on the off chance he annoys you!" Nihlus stated as he took a step up to Desolas and tried to cow him with his gaze. It did nothing and Desolas merely let out a laugh, his mandibles bending in a way that was unnatural, making Nihlus uneasy instead.

"This is mine and Adaaya's ship, so I'll do as I please. Don't forget that you are simply along for the ride, and I'd suggest showing a bit of respect to Adaaya as well, as she was against finding your little doctor here, Spectre!" Desolas said ominously before glancing upwards. "Joker, sitrep."

"The cruiser is still aiming at us, but a shuttle has left it and is heading toward us, despite the fact I had not yet told them we acknowledged. Oh wait, hang on a second. . . . . . They're demanding we open our hanger now, and are saying they don't care if we acknowledge or not. Pushy."

"Adaaya?"

"Is in the hanger bay with Wrex, Tali and Garrus. Kaiden and Ashley are supposedly trying to get back, but had gotten into the showers supposedly."

"Understood, tell her I'll be there in a second, with both our Spectre and new addition with us," Desoals stated, much to Nihlus and Liara's surprise as he turned and opened the door.

"Doctor T'soni is a non-combatant, she will not be-"

"I have a feeling that your Spectre friend is after either you, or her, so you both are coming so we can ascertain what this friend of yours wants," Desolas declared as he walked out, small Jolts of electricity trailing behind him.

" . . . Goddess, I've never seen a Turian so arrogant! And what was wrong with his mandibles?" Liara asked fearfully.

"He's not a Turian, not anymore," Nihlus admitted quietly as he walked over to the bed and grabbed his rifle off of it. "And I don't think it was arrogance. I think he meant every word."

"But, there's no way he could beat you or any other Spectre, right?" Liara asked hopefully.

"You know who he is, right? Desolas Arterius, bother to Saren Arterius, survivor of the contact war, first Turian magician, and one of the first to join to Alliance. He saw what they could do firsthand, and then joined them. And after seeing him in action today, I honestly don't think I could take him."

"But you're a Spectre?" Liara pressed, sounding shocked by Nihlus's words.

"Doctor, how long have you been out in the field?" Nihlus suddenly asked as he began re-donning his armour.

"Uh, a little over seven years, why?"

"Then you don't know. Some Spectres tried to infiltrate Alliance space to find information on them, but few have ever returned alive. Their bodies, usually just their heads, are returned to the council. Since this, Alliance operatives have been considered on par with most Spectres, at least publicly. In truth, many believe that the Alliance has yet to show its true strength, even during the first contact war."

"What? But they devastated the Turians forces in that war, and then went on to devastate the Batarians home world as well! No one could do that while holding back!"

"That's why the council is holding back when dealing with them, and why almost no Spectre takes them lightly now. No one is sure why, but the Alliance is planning something, and everyone wants to be ready for it," Nihlus explained as he finished putting his armour back on and then left the room, Liara following after him nervously.

"I had heard that their ambassador is cocky and constantly causing problems for the council but . . . . . if all of that is true, why? What are they planning?"

"No one knows, and any time the idea has been mentioned to any Alliance person, they apparently laugh it off. Especially the ambassador. I heard that when the council asked, her response was something akin to a 'you'll find out when it happens'."

"That . . . is absurd! How can the Council allow such a thing!?"

"Because they don't have a choice right now," Nihlus said darkly as the two of them entered the hanger again. The back of it was fully open, showing the void of space outside, the atmosphere only being kept in by what appeared to be a glowing green field of energy. Standing in the centre of the hanger was Adaaya and Desolas, while Wrex and Garruss stood to their left, near a group of crates and metal plating. Across from them, Tali stood in her heavy armour, giving Liara her first view of a mechanically suited up Quarian. Above her on a walkway stood both Kaiden and Ashley, holding what appeared some form of large heavy weapons in their hands stoically. Everyone appeared ready for a fight, and from the way arcs of electricity were coming off Desolas, and the way Adaaya's wings were twitching, they were hoping for it.

"So, how long until they arrive?" Nihlus asked as he walked right up beside Desolas.

"About time you got here, I wasn't walking that fast. Joker, how long?" Desolas called out.

"About a half minute, if that cruiser doesn't keep sending reminder pings to not move or activate weapons. Not like they aren't already active," Joker replied, sounding very annoyed.

"Good, then we can deal with these blue shits!" Adaaya said angrily. A few seconds later they could see the shuttle approaching. It was a generic shuttle common among the council forces, but was painted solid blue and had no markings. The shuttle glided gently towards the field and began going through it, but as it did, strange green arcs of energy began jumping across its hull, and as soon as the shuttle was fully inside the hanger, it fell to floor with a crash made many wince.

"Yeah, I figured as much," Adaaya said with a sigh. "They want to board us, but don't have their shuttle properly protected from magic, bloody blue idiots."

Hearing Adaaya speak so ill of her people, and seeing the shuttle crash so unexpectedly, Liara took a step forward to speak, but stopped when she saw Nihlus glance at her and shake his head slightly. A second later the doors on both sides of the shuttles creaked open with a shower of sparks and the groans of bending metal. As they fully opened a full squad of six Asari in full armour with weapons in hand and at the ready came out three to each side. They quickly fanned out and all dropped to one knee, aiming their weapons at everyone assembled. Finally, a moment later a seventh Asari came out, holding a large pistol in one hand while her uncovered face held contempt and disgust.

"So, forgot to shield your shuttle from magic, huh? Pretty basic mistake, don't you think?" Adaaya said first just as the Asari opened her mouth to speak.

"Silence! You humans need to learn your place!" The Asari called out loudly as she pointed her gun at Adaaya, then shifted it to Desolas, then Nihlus, unsure who to point it at. "Regardless, you are ordered to hand over Doctor T'soni immediately, she is too important to the Asari Republic for the Alliance to endanger with their disgusting breaths!

"You are not Tela, you are her subordinate, correct?" Nihlus asked carefully, his talons not even moving for his weapon as he stood there calmly.

"That is correct. Why does it matter, you have your orders!" She spat back.

"I am Spectre Nihlus Kyrik, and while this may be an Alliance vessel, I am on it as part of my mission, and rescuing Docto T'soni was part of my mission as well. Tela Vasir has no right to get in the way of my mission!"

The Asari had a look of shock, but quickly put her free hand to her head, muttered a bit, and then slightly nodded. "Your mission is less of a priority than my leaders, you will hand over Doctor T'soni immediately so that her life is not endangered by Alliance lies!"

"Why am I so important?" Liara suddenly asked, surprising everyone.

"Excuse me?" The Asari captain asked in confusion as she stared at Liara.

"I asked why I am so important. I may be a Prothean researcher, but my studies and reports have been largely overlooked in the past. To most Asari I am simply a young one who has yet to settle down. I have done nothing yet that the Asari Republic would be interested in keeping me alive for! So why are you so interested in me?"

The hanger was silent for a few seconds as the captain, and the Asari under her, all simply gawked at Liara.

"Why do you not just accept it and come with us?" the captain then said, seeming to ty to ignore Liara's self-depreciating words. "The Asari Republic consider you important, so leave with us, and let those Alliance fools end themselves!"

"Well, I-," Liara began until Nihlus spoke up again.

"Enough of this. Get Tela Vasir on the line to speak with me now!" Nihlus demanded as he smiled. "Or does she intend to attack and intervene in another Spectres mission?"

The Asari captain took a step back, clearly unnerved by Nihlus's words, but quickly put her hand to her head and began muttering to herself. Then she raised her pistol at Nihlus, and her free hand came down, alighting with blue biotic energy. "Understood. Nihlus Kyrik, by the command of Tela Vasir, you will die by my hand for forgetting that it is the Council that you serve and that these Aalliance fools are-,"

A crack of lightening deafened the room as the captain was sent flying backwards into the wall right at the edge of the green field. Her body fell to the ground limply, steaming from heat and energy and filing the room with the sudden smell of charred flesh.

The other Asari all looked at Desolas, a hand raised at where the captain had stood, purple electricity arcing across his body as metal liquefied out of slots in his armour and began forming floating blades that slowly spun around him. His face was expressionless, but his words were thick with anger and echoed in the hanger, prompting a slaughter to follow. "Kill them."

A pair of brilliant beams lanced out through the hanger, coring two separate Asari as the beams burned past their kinetic barriers and through their bodies. The four remaining Asari tried to move while firing at anything and everyone, only for one to get tackled back into their shuttle by Wrex. Another took a trio of shots from a rifle, the first two popping their barrier, and the third burying into her helmet. Another was quickly dropped by Nihlus as he rushed her, knocked the weapon out of her hand and then broke her neck, while the last was thrown back into the shuttle by Adaaya. Then, much to Nihlus's surprise, Adaaya walked to the front of the shuttle, now with two injured Asari in it, and kicked it right out of the hanger and into the void. Their flailing bodies drifted out of the shuttle as it drifted away.

"Now then!" Desolas said with a grin as he walked over to the Asari he had struck with lightning and lifted her up by the throat. "Did you really think that we'd let you come here and act like you were in charge? Did you think I would let you use Biotics here!" He yelled as he threw her body through the field and out into the void.

"Joker, get us out of here before-," Adaay spoke up, only for the entire ship to shake, and a strange glow to flash outside in space around them.

"Too late, that cruiser has opened fire. Closing hanger door and escaping now, hold on tight!" Joker voice echoed in the hanger as its outer door slammed shut faster than was probably safe. The entire ship then accelerated, causing most people to lose their balance. The ship shook a second time, then a wave of energy passed over it, making Liara spill the contents of her stomach. "There, we're in slip space, ETA to nearest system, about ten minutes."

"Good," Adaaya muttered as she glanced around as everyone got up or stabilized themselves. "Haaa, debrief in one hour, provided no other friends of yours come to make demands!"

Nihlus merely shook his head. "No. This confirms that Tela is not on our side, though. She would not have ordered her people to attack if she was still working for the council. Something is up."

"No, really? I didn't notice that, Turian," Wrex muttered in annoyance as he rolled his shoulders. "Fastest I've seen Asari commandos go down though.

"Only the one was a commando," Nihlus countered.

"Doesn't matter, everybody get cleaned up. Once we debrief, then we'll decide our next move!" Desolas said as he and Adaaya quickely left the hanger.

Everyone else followed at their own pace, with Nihlus helping Liara up and out. The last person to leave however, was Garrus, who waited until everyone else had left. Once he was alone he walked over to one of the Asari corpses, the one he killed and looked her body over, quickly finding not only a datapad, but her omnitool in good condition. A smile formed on his face. " Well now, let's see what we've got here!"


	30. CH30 - Fire and Stone

**Author note: a little smaller a chapter, but its a prep one, so forgive me. hope you like it anyway!**

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 **June 8** **th** **\- 2155 – Widow System – The Citadel**

Counciler Tevos let out a heavy sigh as she fell into her chair and found herself staring across the room at a bottle of Alliance alcohol, Brandy, if she recalled the name correctly. It seemed so tempting, but she wasn't about to try it, not until she could get it tested.

Dealing with the Alliance was tiring. Their policies, their people, their operatives, their ambassador, all of it. She was so utterly tired of dealing with them that when the man, Charles Saracino, appeared in front of her, introducing himself as the leader human organization Terrafirm, one that the alliance had flagged as terrorists, she actually had stopped and let him speak!

He had been polite, respectful and cordial the entire time, something Tevos was not used to when dealing with humans, but despite his cordial nature, what he claimed to her was painful to take in, and potentially disastrous.

Humans were being weeded out, bred out of existence from the Alliance. That was the main point that Mister Saracino had spoken on. He explained it as a planned genocide that no one would argue. Humans being turned into Youkai, half-Youkai or even half Lunarians, being bred out for some reason that neither he, nor anyone who realized it was happening could discern why.

He had all the data, and had willingly handed it over for Tevos to compare against the data the Alliance had given the council years ago. The data was the same, but Saracino's data gave more detail to its numbers, showing that humans were in fact, being born less and less as normal humans, and that the regular human population was indeed going down, while the youkai population went up at almost the same amounts.

It was startling, but not evil, at least not in Tevos's eye. Her own people after all did something similar with how they reproduced. Any partner they had would never have a child of their own race, only an Asari.

No, it wasn't evil, or even illegal by Alliance, or Council laws, and therefore it shouldn't have been anything requiring her attention. But then Saracino had brought up why Terrafirm exists.

A place where humans can live as humans, unaffected by the influence of magic. He claimed Terrafirma was normally peaceful, that the terrorists claiming its name were simple extremists using their name as a moniker, as a way to shift blame. But what was most startling was what he had said last.

Terrafirm wished to join the Citadel council as a solely human protectorate, to both protect them from the Alliance, and to join the galactic community as humanity should.

Terrafirma, becoming a protectorate of the council. The idea was strange admittedly. She couldn't give an answer immediately, that required the whole council. So she did the only thing she could do, had one of her own personal guards, a Asari commando, take Charles somewhere safe so that he could be protected so that she could call a meeting.

The idea of the council getting a human group, even one with a bad history with the Alliance, especially one such group, was extremely tempting, so she hoped everything went well.

It was time to call a meeting.

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The merchant docks of the Citadel were, as always, busy. Ships came and went on a sporadic basis, dropping off or acquiring cargo, and to make sure it all went smoothly, there was a massive force of dockworkers handling it all. Combined with the number of passenger vessels with their passengers, and security forces, the docks were nearly always bustling with people.

So when a pair of what looked like humans, a man and women, came off a ship that had just come from Asari space, no one had batted an eye. And even the person who saw them get off via the cargo ramp instead of the passenger ramp, hadn't even spoken up about it as he had too much work to do.

If that one person had spoken up, everything could have been ruined, but instead, the two people found themselves unnoticed as they waltzed deeper into the cargo docks, weaving between containers until the noise of the masses was nothing but a dull roar.

"So, I can see three different ways we can get out of here. Only one of them involves killing someone surprisingly," The woman stated with a smile. She had short blonde hair that glowed like gold, and eyes that looked like stone, a solid dull grey.

The man had hair that was a silvery gold in color, and eyes that were deep blue like cobalt. They both wore what looked like simple clothes, very loose puffy pants and jackets with solid boots and high collared shirts under the jackets. To anyone they would look like a pair who felt cold, but the truth was far more devious.

"I can see the main door with its scanner, a side door with security cameras and maybe a security station, and a ventilation shaft. I'm guessing you want to go by the security door, Eva?" the man asked.

Eva Core smiled deviously. "You know me so well, Jack. Are you coming with, or are we splitting up here to begin our search?"

"Let's split up. We'll cover more ground searching for him that way. Text message updates every hour."

"Of course. Now if you excuse me, I'll be going to have some fun!" Eva declared as she began sauntering off.

"Fine, just don't get caught!" Jack yelled as he turned and began walking closer to a wall, where a ventilation plate sat a couple meters above his head. With a quick snap of his fingers the bolts holding it in place broke, and a second later the grate fell down, being gently caught and put aside before jack leapt up to the now open entry point and disappeared within.

The inside of the ventilation shaft was, for lack of a better term, untouched. It was large enough that Jack could move through it without too much difficulty, but the fine layer of dust despite the gentle breeze made it clear the grate were seldom taken off. At least, until he came to a large central shaft. It was easily ten meters across and went straight up. Dozens of other ventilation shafts were along its walls at varying levels, all of them with simple metal handholds bolted, welded and screwed into the walls in a haphazard fashion. The little dust that was on the floor, also had very obvious footprints of various sizes upon them, making it clear that this shaft saw use often by the Citadels poorer class.

Intelligence said they were called duct-rats, children of the less fortunate on the Citadel who either lost their homes, ran away from them, or never had homes to begin with. They lived in the ducts and used the maze of metalwork to travel between all areas of the station. Some supposedly ferried goods or messages between people, especially the less than desirables of the Citadel, while it was said that others simply used it as a place to stay moderately safe.

As if answering a hopeful thought Jack suddenly heard the echoes of some noise from a duct above him, so he sat in the duct way he came from, his legs dangling out clearly in sight, and waited.

"Have you heard, there's people looking for her."

"Really? Wonder where she went then."

"Yeah, just up and left without a word. Maybe her family are criminals."

"Oh, come on. The only Asari that are criminals are the matriarchs and the mercs, you know that!"

"Nu uh, I've heard that businesspeople can be criminals too. They call it uh, purple color crime, I think?" One of the two people, young Batarian and an equally young Asari talked as they climbed down one of the ladders to the bottom, allowing Jack to see them and smile.

"That would be blue collar crime, actually," He said with a smile, causing both the Batarian and Asari children to suddenly turn to him in surprise, surprise that quickly turned to nervousness and fear.

"A h-human?" The Asari muttered in surprise, while the Batarian child turned and hid behind the Asari.

"Wh-what's a human doing here? You don't belong here!"

Jack let out a light chuckle at the way the Batarian child was acting. It made sense after all, his people had been devastated by the Alliance, but what did he think an Asari child could do? She was barely four feet tall, probably not even fifty years and still a young maiden who should be at home by Asari standards. "I don't see any names on the walls, or even any set of rules anywhere. Why can't I be here?" Jack asked using logic that a child would understand.

"There aren't any, but adults don't belong here!" The Asari said as she held a hand forward, a small aura of Biotic energy forming around her hand and sputtering all over. It seemed she hadn't learned any real control, and was having difficulty even with the simple show she was giving. And thankfully because of that is wasn't so strong as to be uncomfortable.

"Especially not humans!" The Batarian boy declared from behind his friend.

"Oh, I see," Jack said with a nod of faked understanding. "But you see, I can't just leave. I'm looking for someone you see. Someone very bad who could endanger all of the Alliance, and the Council. He could even bring about the destruction of the Citadel!" Jack declared, acting positively righteous. It wasn't that he was exactly lying, he and Eva were after a criminal, but his danger was far from what he was saying. The kids didn't need to know that though.

"What?!" Both children yelped in worry as they stepped back a bit. The Asari quickly swallowed her nervousness and stepped forward again though in surprising time. "Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be going after him if you're some kind of security officer?"

"Oh, I would. But the problem is that he's in hiding, and I believe he's trying to infiltrate the Council. If they choose to defend or hide him, I won't be able to find him as easily. So I thought I'd use the ducts to get to the presidium."

"Oh, you need to get to the presidium?" The Asari asked carefully.

"Yes. Otherwise I cannot start looking," Jack stated as he stood up and stretched, making both the little ones stare at how tall he seemed to them. "But, I was wondering. You kids hear a lot, right?"

"Well, maybe, what's it to you?" The Asari replied standoffishly as she held her biotic covered hand up at Jack

"Now then, there's no need to be so violent," Jack said as he held up his hands, the silver bangle on his wrists shaking a bit. "I'm not even armed here, I just wanted to ask you two things. Is that alright?"

The two children looked to each other and then back at Jack. "What do you want then mister . . ."

"Call me Cerberus," Jack said, giving the children his operation alias instead of his real name. "Firstly, I need to get to the Citadel presidium ring, and was wondering if one of you would be interested in leading me there for a small reward."

"A reward?" the Asari asked with clear interest. "what kind of reward?"

"I'll give you this credit chip with one thousand credits on it to lead me to the presidium," Jack said as he pulled out the chip in question and then stuck it back in his inner jacket pocket.

"I'll do it!" The Asari said instantly with a gleam in her eyes at the thought of money.

"Excellent. The other thing I wanted to ask was for you to perhaps pass on information to others that live in the ducts."

"What kind of information?"

"Information, that I am here, and looking for a man named Charles Saracino. He's a blocky man with short black hair and an angry face, likely in a business suit of some form. He's a criminal, likely being protected by corrupt Citadel forces, and I need to find him. I'll give anyone who can give me solid information related to him two thousands credits!"

"I'll tell them!" The Batarian child declared as he suddenly began scrambling up the nearest ladder and disappeared into a duct.

"I get the feeling he doesn't like me."'

"No he's. . . . nervous around most people," The Asari said as she turned to the nearest duct. "This way, it's a long trip to the presidium ring, but I'll show you the way! He'll be smart enough to tell anyone where you're going too!"

"Excellent, please lead the way!" Jack said as he began following the Asari, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling from being so near a Biotic. Regardless he began wondering if he or Eva would get to the presidium first, and who would have information. It was like a race. A long, drawn out race, to hunt for a man who needed to die!

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Eva Core was not a happy Youkai.

Youkai were magical, and most, she included, did not like having to hold back or control themselves. That did not mean she didn't obey the rules of society, oh no, nearly all Youkai did. No, what she didn't like having to control was her power. Having it caged in, unable to emanate off of her, felt wrong, stifling, suffocating. So when she and Jack had been given a mission to hunt down a Terrafirm agent who very well could be their leader, she jumped at the idea!

And then found out that he had been sighted on a council world of all places, boarding a ship to the Citadel. So off to the Citadel they went, to the one place where they both had to wear two Eezo repulsion bracelets to be safe, to hunt down a single man.

It was infuriating, nearly as much as not knowing where their lead had come from. Sure everyone had suspicions as to where the lead had come from, of course. In the Alliance there were only two places random information fell on your lap from. One of them usually toyed with you for the better part of an hour before handing it off, while the other was a supposed existence that most people could not even see or prove existed.

Great options. Really great options!

Regardless of where the information had come from, it had been trusted by their higher ups so here she was, on the Citadel, with her magic and powers mostly sealed-

"Put your hands in the air and don't move!" A Batarian C-Sec officer yelled as he and his Turian partner pointed their handguns at Eva.

-And being held up by officers with more honour and duty than brains.

"Is there something wrong, officers?" Eva asked as she raised her hands and put on her best innocent puppy dog eyed face.

"You tried to steal my weapon," the Batarian claimed angrily, very clearly holding said weapon at Eva's face instead of her centre of body mass. Did C-Sec not train their people well, or was it a holdover if he was a merc before?

Eva let out an exasperated sigh. "I did run into your side sir, and for that I apologize, but I was trying to not walk into that Hanar that went by. I was not trying to steal your piece."

"Of course you tried, human. You're all the same like that!" The Batarian officer yelled as he stepped closer, until suddenly the Turian placed a hand on his shoulder

"Calm down, she might have, but she claims to have not. And I did see that Hanar wobbling around. Probably drunk."

"But, she tried to steal-"

"Why would I steal you're pathetic excuse for a weapon when the Alliance has far better?" Eva asked, giving up on playing innocent. "I just accidentally bumped into you, and I'm sorry. Can I go? I have a meeting I need to get to."

"That's fine. We apologize for the situation, don't we!" The Turian officer said as he essentially dragged his cohort away.

Eva let out a sigh and continued walking down the ward, ducking into an alleyway a few minutes later as she pulled out a sleek blue credit chip. She hadn't been after the man's gun, but his money. After all, Jack had their council funds for the mission, and she had forgotten to ask him for half of it so she could do what was necessary.

Oh well, that officer was an ass, he probably didn't need the money!

Leaving the alleyway Eva glanced around for any kind of bar, information broker, or anything of use and scowled. Everything was in alien script. Not impossible to decipher, but not easy for a Youkai who completely and utterly despised the aliens! Except for the Turians. Yeah they had attacked, but they were the most likable aliens, so similar to the Alliance, yet held back by the foolishness of the Asari.

Eva shook her head. She was getting off topic. She needed to find Charles Saracino and kill him. Well, she and Jack needed to, but the both of them enjoyed a challenge, often making it a form of race. They hadn't said anything about it, but that wouldn't change anything.

"Excuse me," came a new voice, female, and calm.

Eva turned to the voice to see an Asari standing before her, dressed in what looked to be a uniform, but not that of C-Sec. she had a pistol on her waist, and while her expression was calm, her eyes were not. This Asari was after something. "Yes, can I help you, miss?" Eva asked casually.

The Asari seemed taken aback a bit, as well as visibly insulted somehow, but quickly overcame it. "I need you to come with me," the Asari suddenly said politely, though her tone made it clear it was not a suggestion.

"May I ask why?" Eva asked feigning ignorance. The reason could be one of easily a dozen after all. Ranging from a random security check to having been seen swiping the officers chip earlier.

"Because you snuck through our security checkpoint," the Asari stated clearly as one of her hands hovered over her pistol.

"Ah, I see." Eva simply said. In a way she had been hoping to be seen as it would make things interesting, but she hoped to be seen in the checkpoint, not after the fact.

She couldn't create modern art out in the open after all!

"Will you come quietly, or no?" the Asari pressed, her tone cool and neutral, but loud enough that many passer-by's were now keeping their distance, or even stopping to watch.

This had not gone as planned.

Eva let out a heavy sigh and shrugged. "Well, I suppose I should, but I really do have places to be."

"The only place you need to be right now is in a security room answering our questions. Now come along, human," the Asari said as she took out a pair of what looked to be manacles. Manacles clearly powered by Eezo.

First being called a human, then Eezo powered manacles. Eva tensed visibly and took a step back. "You are not putting those on me!"

The Asari acted immediately, pulling her pistol out with one hand and throwing the other up to use Biotics, but as she did, Eva acted as well. With one swing of her arm she knocked the Asari's handgun into her other hand, giving her a chance to bolt into a nearby alleyway, turning as quickly as she could as shots flew past her.

The Asari had bad aim.

Eva took a turn, then another, and another, until she came to a dead end and smirked, climbing up the wall until she could climb up onto the top of a nearby building, and waited.

She didn't have to wait long as the Asari came barrelling down the alleyway, covered in biotic energy making her light up like a Christmas tree. As soon as she found the dead end she began glancing around, eyeing the piles of refuse, the piles of boxes, and the two doorways at the back opposite each other.

"I know you are here," She said calmly as she walked deep in, suddenly looking around a pie of boxes with her gun ready. While she sounded calm, she acted far from it. "Come out, and I will not hurt you."

"Ha, just putting those manacles on would hurt!" Eva called out, using a small weave of magic to throw her voice.

"What do you mean? They are just manacles."

"Eezo powered! You council races really need to learn to differentiate humans and youkai!"

"Youkai? Then, why are you on the Citadel? Nearly no Youkai aside from your ambassador come to the Citadel. All of your kind are rare here, so what are you here for?" she demanded, now sounding worried.

"Thinking of letting me go about my business?"

"No, you intentionally snuck through a security checkpoint. You will be taken in and questioned. I merely have begun the questioning early."

"Oh, how forceful! Tell me, do you like art?"

"What?" the Asari asked in confusion as she spun around, looking around for the voice she still could not find.

"Art. Paintings, music, sculpture. I like sculpture. A lot! They have such emotion to them!" Eva declared as she silently leapt down from the building above and landed behind the Asari without making a noise. "Especially fear and surprise!"

The Asari spun around at hearing Eva's voice behind her. It was her first and last mistake. Eva grabbed her gun hand and lifted it up against her biotic arm, pushing it up into the air, while Eva leaned forward, her face right in front of the Asari's as her eyes began to glow.

"Strike a pose!" Eva said happily.

The Asari opened her mouth to speak, but it quickly turning into a low cry for help as she felt her sense of touch leave her. It took barely two seconds for the Asari's entire body, clothing, and the gun in her hand to turn into solid greyish blue marble.

"Hmmm, I wasn't sure if it would work, but that turned out nicely!" Eva stated as she took a step back and admired her handiwork. It was perfect mixture of shock and growing fear, along with an excellently shaped female form. Another excellent piece! "Now I can get back to-"

CRASH!

Eva turned to see a Turian child standing in the entrance to the alleyway's dead end. A broken box of dishware was on the ground at his feet, and his expression was one of horror.

And as soon as he and Eva's eyes met he did the most intelligent thing for a child and turned around and ran off as fast as his feet could carry him.

"Aw, Stones," Eva grumbled in annoyance. If it had been any kind of officer, adult, or anything else shed have just fix the problem. Killing or even harming children was never right or allowable though. She quickly typed a message on her wrist comp and hit the send button, letting the message out.

Jack, I screwed up.

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 **Operative Stealth Ship Normandy – unknown location.**

Garrus Vakerian sat down in the small, but easily large enough room he had been given aboard the Normandy. When he had been given his mission by the council, he had figured he would be in a mixed dormitory or a multi-person cabin. Instead everyone had their own cabins. It was small, only big enough for just a single person bed, a desk, a locker and a small walkway in the middle, but it was far more than he had expected. The room could even have its head and humidity changed to his own liking, making it surprising comfortable.

But the most important thing was not his own comfort, but how easy the room made it to do his primary job. His orders were simple.

Assist in hunting down the rogue spectre, Saren.

Learn anything he could about what connections Saren could have.

Discover any other information that could be of use to the Citadel council, including information on the Alliance.

Simple orders, yet also not so simple. As soon as he had boarded the ship he knew it would be a wealth of information. Alliance weapons, infantry tactics, personal views on combat magic up close, he was learning so much, and marking all of it down on his Omni tool to make sure he forgot nothing. He didn't even need to worry about it getting damaged either, for his Omni tool was military grade, and had been designed for the mission. It had no Eezo, was hardened and encrypted, and most importantly, was built into his armour and had no wireless connection of any kind. With no wireless connection he couldn't hack things with it without directly connecting it to anything, but that was fine, as it meant it couldn't get hacked and there was less chance of data corruption or loss.

And the data he had just gotten was worth not losing!

He hadn't managed to decrypt all of it, that took time even for automated programs, but what he could access was both interesting and dangerous.

Tela Vasir was working with some other organization, not the Council or the shadow broker, and was dumping large quantities of her own personal funds into it. Yet, she still had the funds to have an Asari commando and many other Asari mercenaries originally from Eclipse serving her so willingly, without pay. That alone was something of interest, but the last pieces of information he could glean were even more so. The name of the organization she was part of, an Alliance word of some kind, and another piece of information, the name of a ship that supposedly was captained by Saren himself.

Sovereign.

The real question however, was what to do with the information. It was only partial, but with the right connections it could lead to something even before the rest of the data was decrypted. Would he simply hoard the information and look for that which connected to it, or reveal what he had found to Adaaya, Desolas and Nihlus?

Suddenly a low beep rang in the room, and a small blinking green light lit up beside a button on the wall. Letting out a sigh Garrus reached over and tapped the button, connecting the speaker. "What do you need, pilot?"

"Oh good, I was hoping someone would pick up!" came Jokers voice over the intercom. "everyone else won't pick up, or can't, but I figured I'd tell you that Desolas and Co are going to call that debrief soon. Figured you'd want to know beforehand.

"Thank you for that, I'll head over now. Is Spectre Nihlus with them there?"

"Yep, the three of them have been going over how the mission went. Or complaining about it. It's hard to tell from when I listened in."

"I see, thank you. If there's time I'll come up and talk with you, if you would be fine with that?"

"Sure, talking with an investigator, what's the worst that could happen?" Joker said as he ended the connection.

Garrus could only smile. He had talked to the pilot only once before since getting on the ship, but he liked him. He was open, sarcastic, and strangely knowledgeable about things, while being perfectly fine with passing on information. Information that was basic and easily acquired, but still.

It felt like he was some kind of agent, or an operative himself, though that would be hard considering the disease he supposedly had.

Letting out a sigh Garrus switched his Omni tool to its low power mode and got up and left the room, quickly heading down the hall as he began going over the information in his head. The hallways were mostly clear, aside from a few crewmen. They were surprisingly friendly as well, giving a wave or a greeting as they passed, but the entire time he had the feeling someone was watching him.

It felt like someone could attack him at any moment, like he could be discovered with a terrible secret that would ruin galactic economy, or like he was being watched to be made to slip up. It was a nice feeling that kept him at his best.

Being a C-Sec investigator was tough work, but it was a trillion times better than being stuck at a desk!

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"It went well, aside from your excessive electrocution of a ships systems that could have had information on them," Nihlus said off handily as he, Adaaya and Desolas stood in the meeting room on the Normandy.

"It went better than expected really," Adaaya said with a grin. "I was not expecting you and that investigator to keep up with us. The Krogan was obvious, but I honestly thought you would have fallen behind!"

"A Spectre must be capable of working for days at a time without rest if necessary. A little light sprinting will not tire me that quickly," Nihlus quickley stated in his defence.

"Oh, you seemed pretty winded though? Or was that just from having to corral your insane brain surgeon? Desolas replied in a snarky tone.

"You must have miss seen things. I was neither tired, nor having difficulty with the doctor. She has been helpful already in helping organize the Prothean images in my head after all," Nihlus declared simply. "And you haven't said anything about that ship you so worthlessly devastated."

Desolas shrugged. "It was a quicker way to get rid of its crew, and if we really needed info off it, the Alliance has its ways. Besides it's now covered in liquefied rock, so there's no issue!"

"No issue? If they had prisoners they are dead! If there was worthwhile data, it's gone! If there was any form of lead, a trail to who they worked for, how they knew Doctor T'soni was there, or why they were after her, it is gone! And you say there is no issue?!"

"Of course there's no issue, it all got covered in liquid rock!" Desolas exclaimed, almost happily.

Something Nihlus picked up on. "Now that I think about it, you didn't seem all that afraid of it yourself. Did you perhaps-"

"Know a volcano was there? Of course not," Desolas said with a chuckle. "Adaaya and I just know someone who's magic is kind of like lava, only a hundred times worse. So a little lava is less scary than his magic!"

"I find that difficult to believe," Nihlus said with a sigh as he decided to change the subject. "With Doctor T'soni's help I have pieced together a few bits of the visions I've been seeing. It's some sort of warning message, but its fractured, and the doctor believes that if I was to find another working beacon that it would clear up."

"And how is that supposed to help us find Saren?" Adaaya spoke up in a snarky tone. "Even if he has the same vision, Prothean beacons do not grow on trees!"

"I know that! I am just saying that if we find any information related to the Protheans we should keep looking into it!" Nihlus stated angrily.

"And that's fine," Desolas spoke up. "But we need to decide our next move before the debrief so there's no wasted time. We've wasted enough already."

"On that I agree. The other leads we had were the science lab on Noveria that Saren now owns, and the council colony on Feros that went dark," Nihlus stated as he tapped his omnitool a bit and did the Turian equivalent of a scowl. "That's odd."

"what is?" Adaaya asked curiously.

"I've gotten a notice that the Council knows of Feros, and that Lonar Maerun, the councils only Hanar Spectre, volunteered to go and investigate."

"Why is that odd? It means they are actually doing their job" Desolas said with a huff.

"It's odd-," Nihlus began as the door opened and Garrus walked in.

"Because Lonar Maerun is known as an assassination specialist, and because he is known to cause many unneeded deaths. He normally works in the terminus systems hunting down warlords and pirate captains that get too arrogant, and the Council would instantly ask him to not go there due to his personal opinions on many things," Garrus said as he walked up to the table and sat down. "I apologize, but I was outside when I heard Lonar's name."

"Its fine, Investigator," Adaaya said with a odd grin. "Seems like you know your stuff. I was under the impression that Spectre activities are top secret though, no?"

"They are, but investigators get access on some occasions to look into things. One investigation I had to deal with last year had Lonar as a potential suspect, so I've seen and memorized his dossier," Garrus explained before looking to Nihlus. "I apologize if I interrupted you."

"No, its fine. I haven't spoken with Lonar, what can you tell us?"

"Hold that thought," Desolas said quickly as he tapped his wristcomp a few times and then nodded. "Just telling Joker to tell everyone to come here for the debrief, continue.

"Well, he's a Hanar, first of all. They use Mass effect powered levitation systems to keep themselves upright out of water, and their tentacles can both grip tightly, and secrete natural toxins. Each Hanar can produce a different form of toxin, and Lonar is said to be secrete one that is extremely deadly, capable of killing within a minute after contact with the skin by causing them to lose motor control. Essentially a hyper powerful paralytic. He uses this, along with his grav system to move faster than people might expect a Hanar to, and to strangle and kill people. According to his dossier anyway."

"Sounds dangerous, but effective," Nihlus said with a nod, seeing the value in such tactics. "what of his personal opinion you mentioned?"

"He, like most Hanar, believe that the Protheans uplifted their people and gave them language. They call them the enkindlers, and while most Hanar are protective of Prothean technology, he is downright addicted to it."

"Addicted to technology the Council makes everyone share?" Desolas asked carefully.

"Yes, apparently, if he encounters any place of Prothean ruins, or a Prothean artefact, he has a habit of going in and killing anyone to secure it."

"That's bad. If I recall correctly, the Council colony is based inside the ruins of a Prothean tower complex," Nihlus said nervously. "And the whole planet is covered in Prothean ruins.

"So we have a lab controlled by Saren, and Prothean tower colony that is under attack by Batarians, robots, and now possibly a fanatical Hanar. They sound rather equal honestly," Desolas said with a sigh.

It was at that moment that the door opened and Wrex, Ashley, Kaiden and Tali all came in.

"Good, now we can get this meeting . . . . Joker, why is the doctor not here?" Desolas spoke up as he pressed something on the wall.

"She wasn't ground team, figured you didn't want her. Do you?" Joker replied from a speaker that Nihlus couldn't quite find.

"No, that's a good point. Never mind."

"Alright. Oh, and I'm sending you and Adaaya something we just got over comms. Encrypted Operative channel, and it checks out on its security bits. Should take a minute to get to your wrist comps."

"Uh, now that he's out of the way and everyone's here, debrief time," Adaaya said contently. "First of all, everyone, good job out there, both on that rock and in the hanger. Tali, good job taking initiate with covering, and Wrex, Garrus, good job with keeping up, you did better than we figured you would honestly."

"We've gotten our Spectres little doctor and he's helping him with what he needs," Desolas then spoke up as he tapped his wristcomp and brought up a hologram of a simple, single line message.

OKS – 27 – Attican b –Theseus – two

"For those of you who don't know, this is a simple Operative Code. The first part tells who is sending it, the first two numbers are the code itself, and the rest is a location."

"So, Attican Beta, the Theseus system and . . .that's Feros!" Garrus quickly pieces together. "But who sent it?

"One of the highes ranking Operatives. And a code 27 is a request for immediate support to prevent loss of life. So it looks like we're going to Feros," Adaaya said with a sigh. "Joker will get us there in a couple hours, so rest while you can. Dismissed."

Nihlus waited until everyone but he, adaaya and Desolas had left the room before speaking up. "So, Feros. Is it that important with the message?"

"As Adaaya said, a code 27 is a request for immediate reinforcements to stop a loss of life. Civilian life. And considering who sent it, the situation must be grim."

"But, who is it?"

"One of the first Operatives that the Citadel races set eyes upon. And the second rank operative in all of the Alliance," Adaaya said with a grin, "Kotchiya Sanae!"

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Codex-

Operative coding – operatives use a simple encrypted code system to alert others of their intentions or need for assistance. The codes may look simple, but without knowing the encryption key, and the codes meaning, are difficult to discern.

The first three letters of a code are the initials of Operative (O) then the operatives initials themselves. The codes after them fall into a simple grouping arrangement.

1-5 – singular operative situation reports

6-12 – multi operative reports.

13-17 – mission all clear/ exfiltration requests

18-30 – various requests for reinforcements, or support depending on situation.


	31. CH31 - Towers of stone

**Authors note: So, it took a while for this chapter, far longer than I wanted it to take. I wanted it to be longer as well, but I had two choices. Take even longer to put out the chapter, or break what I wanted into pieces so I could get something out sooner. Obviously I have chosen the latter as it has just been too long since I was able to update. So sorry for how long it's taken, and for the short chapter. I'm trying to get back up to semi consistent updates. Hope ya continue enjoying the story!**

"What do you mean, I'm not going down with you?!" Doctor T'soni asked in anger as she and Nihlus stood in the cabin he was using. Nihlus was busy putting his armor and gear on, while Liara was in her regular clothing, while looking very upset.

"I mean, you are an archeologist, perhaps a scientist as well. We will be landing in a place where, according to the Alliances codes, is very dangerous. I cannot bring a noncombatant into dangerous territory where-,"

"Feros is an ancient Prothean Ecumenopolis, and that Alliance woman and Turian Both have proven that they care nothing about Prothean Relics or history!" Liara loudly interrupted. "I am not allowing them to parade around in such a place where they can destroy ancient structures and relic without a care! I am going down there with you!"

"You are a noncombatant," Nihlus stated seriously. "I am not bringing you into a combat zone!"

"So you'd let those ignorant Alliance people run rampant and destroy ancient Prothean structures and relics that could still have yet to be discovered?!" Liara demanded to know in anger.

Nihlus had thought he was being very calm this far, but had had enough. Stepping forward he swung a first down on the nearby shelf, snapping it in half and making Liara squeak and take a step back. "We are heading there to pursue a rogue Spectre, not to sightsee! If I had to choose between stopping a criminal, and destroy an old decrepit building, I would destroy the building without any hesitation! You forget that I am a Spectre, and they are Operatives of the Alliance. Nothing you say has any weight here, and as this is an Alliance ship, your words carry even less weight!"

"B-but. . . . They just-, you can't!"

"I am a Spectre, I uphold the Councils laws by any means necessary, and they theirs. They accepted my request to find you to help me with those Prothean visions, and you have and I am grateful. But do not think that means that you can make demands here, Doctor!"

Liara stared at Nihlus, seemingly shocked into silence as she stared, mouth agape.

"If you are absolutely intent however, as this is not my ship, I do not have the authority to deny you," Nihlus suddenly suggested. To Liara it seemed like he was giving her a chance, but to Nihlus, he knew that being denied by Desolas and Adaaya as well would be the only way to make her drop the idea.

"Then I'll just make them take me down with them so I can preserve the Prothean ruins!" Liara declared as she turned to leave the room, only for Nihlius to grab her wrist.

"Hold on for a moment," Nihlus said as he reached over and tapped the button on the wall. "Pilot, may I request to know where either Operative Desolas, or Operative Adaaya are currently?"

"Oh, Spectre. Sure, why not. Both of them and the rest of the ground team are all in the main hall. Just be careful, the two of them are sparring."

"Understood, thank you," Nihlus said as he touched the button again and cut the connection. "There, now you know where they are," Nihlus said as he turned to Liara, only to find she was gone. "Damn. I don't recall letting go of her hand. Oh well, better go make sure she doesn't cause a scene."

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"Okay, I'll admit, I'm impressed," Wrex commented as he sat at a table with Garrus, Ashley and Kaiden in the mess hall. The other half of the mess hall was open with the arena in clear view, and it looked like half the crew, all of those with duties not needing to done in that instant, were gathered in the hall watching the two people in the arena duking it out.

Every one of the ship's crew knew of their power. Everyone on the ground team had seen it as well. But to see Desolas and Adaaya fighting in the arena with no magic, and no weapons aside from their own bodies was a strangely powerful sight.

Each thrust of Addaya's fists created a ripple of pure force that would burst away from the arena. Each swing of her leg was like a gale creating a blast of wind. Each flap of her wings, whether to move away or forward, was like a sheet of bristling power. Similarly, each strike of Desolas's claw was like a chain of lightning bolts, and each swing of his fists like the fall of a hammer.

Each strike at the other was blocked or parried, their colliding limbs creating loud cracking sounds more akin to striking metal than flesh. Each blow was traded in equal, and each trike made those around look on in interest, pain, or outright excitement.

No one was within three meters around the arena though, as each blow they treaded with force made anyone closer either fall over or be thrown back.

"This is nothing really," Ashley said with a shrug. "Yeah, both of them are strong, but there are other operatives much stronger in physical combat. My mother, Yuugi, Tenshi, Suika, and Youmu, being the most dangerous in single combat without magic."

"Wait, you mean they are not the strongest?" Garrus asked in surprise as he continued to watch the fight between the two operatives. It was extremely enlightening, as just from what he could see they could probably tear though armor with their blows. And they were supposed to not be that strong?

"No. They are strong, but Desolas is keeping up with some passive magic as Adaaya specializes in melee combat. But neither of them would hold a candle too many of the highest ranked operatives," Kaiden spoke up. "As an example, Desolas is best when utilizing his magic, whereas Adaaya mostly uses her own magic as a boost to her own abilities. If say, Yuugi Hoshiguma was in there, the ship probably would have been split in half if she had used a strike at even half her full power."

"Okay, that I have trouble believing," Wrex declared with a huff. "This is impressive, but splitting a ship with a punch? That is just stupid."

"Not when the one in question is an Oni with the ability to split mountains in half," Kaiden countered. "Most operatives hold back their real power. They have to otherwise it'd be a mess all of the time."

"So, are there operatives that don't need to hold back? Do they have trouble holding back?" Garrus asked as Adaaya and Desolas struck each other, sending in another heavy force wave into the hall and almost knocking over Garrus's cup.

"Some have trouble and some don't," Tali stated as she walked up to the table and sat down. "I have heard though that the human operatives, Lady Hakurei and Kirisame for example, have less trouble holding back than others. It's also said they are the most likely to suddenly stop holding back, going from ten to one hundred percent very suddenly, so it is hard to say."

"I see. That's good to know," Garrus said nervously as he looked back at Adaaya and Desolas as they both exchanged one last strike, then took steps back and clasped hands, proving that they were done. Cheers went up from the crew in an instant. "I take it they are better at holding back when needed?"

"For the most part. . . . kind of," Kaiden said as the door behind them opened up at Docto T'soni stormed in, looked around, saw Desolas and Adaaya coming off the arena, and then walked right toward them "Uh, that's not smart."

"Doctor, that's not a good idea!" Garrus called as he instantly got the message Kaiden was sending. Unfortunately his words were too late as Doctor T'soni had already gotten close enough to speak up. And did so much to the whole crews shock.

"Operatives, I am joining you on Feros when we arrive!"

The hall became quieter in an instant, not that Doctor T'soni realized it, and Adaaya simply let out a sigh. "You deal with this, Desolas. I'm hitting the shower,"

"Fine," Desolas replied as Adaaya walked off, and as she left the room, he looked at Liara. "No, you are not."

"I am not allowing you to head down to a ruined Prothean Ecumenopolis without oversight from someone who knows what Prothean technology is important and must be protected. I am going down there with you!" Liara declared loudly.

The entire hall turned silent, and in that same moment a number of crewmen all began vacating the hall as quickly, and quietly as they could.

"Doctor," Desolas began to say, his tone very slow and calm. "You are a noncombatant as far as I am concerned. I will not bring a noncombatant into a combat zone. You will die."

"I can defend myself; I have my biotics and-,"

"Your biotics are sealed by that bracelet you are wearing, and even in a combat zone I would not allow you to remove it!" Desolas declared suddenly. "Urdnot Wrex is a biotic, but he is perfectly capable of fighting proficiently without them, and has proven he can do so. So unless you have combat training not related to biotics, we are done here!"

"Biotics are the rights of all Asari! I understand using the bracelet to protect your people while on this ship, but on the field it should not matter! I can use my biotics and protect myself so I am coming down to-."

"Unless you are willing to go through a very long and painful surgical procedure to literally blow apart every molecule of Eezo in your body, you are not coming down into a combat zone!" Desolas suddenly yelled, making everyone still around stare in both sudden worry and curiosity.

"But if I don't you will-," Liara stopped midsentence as she realized what Desolas said, her expression turning from anger to confusion and revulsion. "That would just kill an Asari, there is no such a barbaric practice!"

"Not in Council space there isn't," Desoals said grimly, making Liara go pale in revulsion, her disgust making it difficult for her to think of what to say. "Now, let me make this very clear, Doctor. You are on our ship as a guest of the Spectre who is assisting in the mission that we share, not as a member of the ground team, the crew, or even an assistant to the Spectre. You will not be joining the ground team unless stated otherwise, and you will obey our rules. Is that clear?"

"But you destroyed-," Liara tried to say, only for a sudden jolt of electricity from Desolas's fringe destroying a nearby cup to silence her.

"IS, THAT, CLEAR!?" Desolas pressed, more electricity arcing between his fringes in a dreadful dark purple color.

Liara took an unconscious step back and nodded shallowly, unable to speak as her skin crawled uncomfortably even as her stomach roiled and felt like it was dying inside.

"Good," Desoals said as he walked past her and looked up to see Nihlus standing by the door to the hall, and the ground team all standing by a table. "We'll likely get to Feros in a couple hours. Make sure you are ready by then!"

Most gave nods or affirmations of reply, while Nihlus walked up to Desolas with a grim look on his face. "That comment, about no such thing being practiced in Council space. Do I need to look into such a thing?"

"No, you don't, and I would be thankful if you forgot about that slip of the tongue for now," Desolas said as he leaned closer to Nihlus a bit. "Let's just say, Adaaya and I know of a person who gave up a lot for what they wanted and leave it at that for now, alright?"

"Very well," Nihlus replied quietly as he took a step back from Desolas. "So, same ground team, I assume?"

"Yes, but I'd suggest bringing extra equipment."

"Why?"

"I'll explain once we're ready to head down," Desolas said grimly as he left the room. Leaving Nihlus, a seemingly frozen Liara, and everyone else, alone in the tense silence.

"Huh. Wish I could paralyze Asari like that," Wrex said as he rolled his shoulders. "Right, if we'll be arriving soon, I'm going to get my gear ready."

"Good idea, considering who sent the distress code, I'll need to look over my suit as well," Tali agreed as she followed Wrex out, the others following suit within seconds.

In a minute everyone was gone, leaving Liara in the room with only a couple of crewmembers who quietly gave her a wide berth. They figured she was terrified or scared into inaction.

"He . . . can't do this. He can't! They could destroy Prothean relics, and, his words . . . has the Alliance done that? Have they experimented on my people?!" Liara mumble to herself in anger and contained hatred as she finally turned and began heading back to her room. "Fine, if he wants to screw with me, with everything that has been done before the Alliances arrival. . . . . . . . Two can play at that game. I just need to find a way to get some help, and find something I can use! Then I'll be able to make them understand where they sit!" Liara nearly shouted as she went to her room, not seeing Garrus watching her from around a corner with a worried expression on his face.

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 **June 9** **th** **– 2155 – Feros Colony, Attican Beta**

Sanae Kotchiya let out a small yawn as she stared at the midday sun of Feros. It was high in the sky, far above them, its rays shining down upon the broken tomb world that was filled with the ghosts of a dead races' suffering. There was a time that such a view, the sun over the clouds and an endless horizon of a civilization's bones, would have made her smile in awe, both at its beauty and suffering.

Unfortunately, her Ascendance past a simple Descendant of a god and into a demigod of her own made things more complicated, as she could feel things differently now. It didn't make her a different person, in fact it made her all the more intent on staying who she was, but it did make some things slightly more difficult to deal with.

" _Alliance Operative Kotchiya. We have detected a ship entering the planet's atmosphere on a course to this location. Its propulsion is not based on Element Zero. Suggested response?"_

Luckily machinery, even hyper intelligent AI, were not among the things that became more difficult, in fact, she loved dealing with them!

"If their propulsion is not based on Eezo, it means it's probably a friend of mine come to help us," Sanae said with a smile as she turned around and looked at the large red machine that stood before her, nearly twice her height. A Geth Prime. "The tower's third hanger is accessible still, correct?"

" _Affirmative,"_ the prime responded instantly.

"Good, please have the hanger opened for them. Do you think the Batarian frigate at the other tower will attempt to fire on them?"

" _It is likely as they had tried to fire on ours as well. If required, we can move our ship out of the hanger to provide support. Directions?"_

Sanae thought for a second before smiling. "No, don't worry, they'll be fine. How are our defenses holding?" Sanae asked as she began walking away from the ledge and back toward the colony proper.

" _The defenses are holding. The lowest entry into the tower is held by two primes, three soldier frames, as well as four turrets. The main roadway between the two towers is held by twice that, and our sensors are monitoring all the smaller entrances into the tower."_ The Geth Prime replied as it followed behind Sanae.

"I see, that's good. How many frames have been lost in how many attacks?" Sanae asked as she glanced at some nearby colonists, noting how they shied away from her gaze.

" _The consensus has lost four Turrets, one stalker frame and four soldier frames in the last seven assaults. Damage to the surrounding structure around each defense post has been moderate."_

"Hrm, that's not good," Sanae muttered as she snapped her fingers, a small sparkle coming from her nose for a second, making her twitch her nose. "How is the maintenance for your frames going?"

" _Frame maintenance is keeping up with our current stores of material. However, as we have not finished changing over our weapon schematics, we are beginning to run low on ammunition blocks for some weapons. Recommend procuring more if possible."_

"Okay, I'll think of something. It was unfortunate we couldn't finish the weapon swaps before coming here, especially since your ship doesn't have a large enough reactor or fabricator to fix it. Oh well," Sanae said with a shrug as she suddenly scowled and flicked a finger to the side, sending a small greenish blue magical bullet off into the rafters, and smiting a small camera drone out of existence. "It seems we'll have an attack soon from our wiggly friend. Please alert all forces."

" _Done."_

"Good, thank you."

" _Addendum, the approaching ship appears to be a small ship with a powerful Mag-Tech reactor and it is marked as the Normandy."_

Sanae smiled widely, knowing who would be coming to them. "Oh, this is good then; would you like to accompany me to meet them at the hanger?"

" _Affirmative!"_

"Excellent, then let's go meet out new allies, and get ready to perform some miracles of warfare!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the Normandy touched down the entire ship shuddered slightly and shifted even more so, making Addaya look up at a camera in the ceiling. "Joker, please tell me you didn't botch the landing?"

" _Of course not. This tower is old; the stone just shifted a bit is all. We're fine."_ came the pilots reply.

"The Protheans made their buildings of stone?" Ashley asked, glancing toward Nihlus as the decontamination screens began activating over the whole group.

"On the outside, I believe. No race could build buildings up to near the stratosphere without metal," Nihlus replied as he looked uncomfortable. "I hope the doctor doesn't cause a problem on the ship."

"She won't, I made it clear to her, I think," Desolas stated as the decontamination finished and the door to the outside opened up. As they group strode out the grey walls of deteriorating stone surrounded their vision. Small lights tried and failed to illuminate the hanger they were in, and the sound of hollow breezes swept into the hanger, blowing about billion year old piles of dust and debris. It felt like the entire tower they now stood in could come down at a moment's notice, though none said anything about that thought.

"Looks like our fellow is doing fine, Adaaya suddenly said as she looked at a doorway on the wall they were approaching. "Tali, don't explode."

Tali was about to ask why, until she saw a large red Geth unit standing beside a human at the doorway.

"Thank you for responding to the call I sent out," The human woman said as she stepped forward, making Garrus, Nihlus and Wrex look at her in surprise and confusion. She was a woman who looked young, and was wearing a skin tight suit of green material with metal pieces all over it, some in sensible locations, and some seemingly at random. On her hip sat a small piece of wood and paper, and across from it a small case of some sort that looked to have a bunch of paper in it as well. Most surprising was not her green hair or friendly demeanor, but the strange almost aura like feeling of unbelievable power she exuded. As if she was far more than she appeared.

"No problem. Can you fill us in on the situation maybe, Sanae? You said there was the chance of a loss of civilian life, but how badly?" Desolas spoke up, seeming casual with the situation, much to the Alliance crews surprise.

"I can, but first I think introduction are in order," Sanae said as she looked past Desolas and Adaaya and smiled. "Hello everyone, my name is Kotchiya Sanae, an Operative of the Alliance; I look forward to your help!" She said with a polite bow before gesturing toward the Geth Prime that stood near her. "And this is a platform of the Geth frigate that I have been working with for the past few weeks. I call this platform EVA 1!"

Adaaya smacked herself in the face and shook her head while Ashley and Kaiden both groaned, making Wrex and Garrus look around in confusion.

"Um, is that supposed to mean something?" Nihlus asked curiously.

"Yes, but don't ask, just don't," Adaaya said with a sigh as she stepped to the side. "The ground team we have with us consists of Kaiden Alenko, Ashley Williams, and Tali Zorah. We also have the Council Spectre Nihlus Kyrik, the Council investigator, Garrus Vakerian, and a mercenary named Urdnot Wrex along for the ride as well. Now you can explode, Tali."

"WHY IS THERE A GETH HERE!?" Tali then yelled as she raised an arm, pointing her exosuits wrist mounted cannon at the Geth platform intimidatingly.

Not that the Geth reacted in any noticeable way.

"Oh yeah, I forgot I hadn't informed anyone else of what I was doing yet!" Sanae said as she clapped her hands together. "For the past few weeks I've been working with the Geth to upgrade their systems and algorithms so that they can gain more processing power and hopefully get closer to full sentience. If I'm successful the Geth consciousness has agreed that they will consider joining the Alliance!"

"And you think that's a good idea!" Tali yelled in shock. "They killed thousands of us and stole our home world!"

"Actually, from having access to their logs all the way back to that event, I can tell you that the entire war with the Geth started when a Geth unit asked if it had a soul. Your ancestors panicked, thinking they'd get kicked from the Council, and tried to destroy them. The Geth fought back only in self-defense and even tried to save many Quarians caught in the middle of it. It's basically the Councils fault for everything as they had made the Quarians afraid of AI, and then had kicked you anyway when your peopled 'fessed up about what had happened," Sanae quickly explained, speaking so fast that no one could interject at all until she finished and took a breath. As she let it out though her gaze fell deep on Tali and she very suddenly crossed the distance and began circling her, hands looking all over the exosuit. "Also, this is a V-series exo suit, right? It looks like you modified the plating and the actuators, but how did you deal with the additional heat buildup? Did you use the insulation protocol or did you connect it to your suits systems to control the heat? Ooh, and is this a laser weapon? I don't see a heat sink. Did you connect that to it as well or run it though the anterior connection?"

"Ah, no I, I mean, I just, can you get off!" Tali pleaded as Sanae continued to look over her exosuit, asking questions, answering them herself, and then providing upgrade and improvement ideas so fast that it was hard to follow.

"Spirits, does she ever stop?" Nihlus asked in awe of how fast Sanae could keep talking.

"In addition to being a Deified human, and the second rank Operative, Sanae is one of Alliance R&D's best people. She's also a little bit eccentric sometimes," Adaaya explained casually.

"She's the second strongest Operative? I don't see it," Wrex said with a huff.

"Most operatives that are scientists can be a little scattered. The only one that isn't really is Eirin," Desolas said as he walked over to Sanae and Tali and raised a hand between the two of them. "Your message was for immediate support to prevent a loss of civilian life. So what's the situation, Sanae?"

Sanae stopped, blinked and then stepped back from Tali. As she did it was like her whole demeanor changed, going from friendly and random, to focused and serious. "I'll explain on the way to the colony proper," she said as she turned and began walking back the way she came, the Geth platform following beside her. As soon as the whole group was underway she spoke up again, her tone tense, but not overly loud, like a whispered scream. "I got here about a week ago when the Geth fleet caught wind of a mostly blocked emergency transmission from this colony. They stated that they were under attack by Batarian pirates, but when I arrived I found the situation did not add up. The Batarian forces are gathered in the adjacent Prothean tower and continue to send attacks across the large bridges that connect the two. I asked the colonists what had happened and they said that the Batarians were attacking from across the way, but I also noticed that there was evidence of fighting in the colony itself. When I asked about that, they changed the subject, ignored it, or claimed it was old damage when it is clearly not. The amount of damage that has been dealt to the colony and its entrances does not match up with their stories of how much damage the Batrians have supposedly done. I've also caught glimpses of both an Asari and a Hanar leading the Batarian forces, and have fought the former twice already."

"Did you catch her name?" Nihlus asked quickly, hoping to get his question in before Sanae continued as the group descended down a flight of stairs.

"No, she never introduced herself, just attacked despite my attempts at conversation," Sanae explained before she continued, slightly more muted. "There is one other thing as well, but for now all I'll say is that anyone without magic should blow their noses frequently while here.

"Because of the dust in the air?" Wrex asked.

"Sure, let's go with that if any colonist asks about it," Sanae said as the whole group came into a large open area filled with prefab shelters that looked like they had seen better days. Many of them had small holes and marks from accelerator fire, as well as burn marks on much of the stone and buildings. To one side of the colony it looked like there were body's under tarps, quite a number of them, and to the opposite side of the colony, beside a lone building apart from the rest, was a small crane that seemed to serve no purpose. As they walked into the colony all the colonists, mostly Salaraians, Turians and a number of humans, all looked at them with gazes that were somewhere between unemotionally apathetic and violently defensive.

"Sanae," came a slow spoken and broken pronunciation of Sanae's name from a human man who walked toward them, his expression slightly more lively than the rest, but still odd, as if it was being forced. "Who are these . . . people."

"The reinforcement I was expecting, Fai-Dan," Sanae replied with a soft smile. "Don't worry, now I can deal with the problem quickly!"

"That is . . . good. Thank you, though if they came by ship, they may be, stuck here, until frigate broken."

"You don't need to worry about that, we'll deal with it, so please excuse us," Sanae said as she bowed politely to Fai-Dan and then gestured over to an empty balcony like area at one side of the colony near a large open doorway of stairs that seemed to go down. As they reached the balcony Sanae turned to everyone and smiled. "As I said, make sure to blow your nose well while here, that dust gets in your head."

"So it seems," Nihlus muttered in partial understanding as he glanced down the nearby stairs and then back to Sanae. "I take it you have a plan already prepared?"

"I do. It's pretty simple too. The Batarian forces are attacking from the two bridges that connect the towers. So we split into two groups. One stays here to defend the colony, the other goes across and deals with the Batarian forces and the ones leading them!"

"Me, you, Desolas and Nihlus go across then?" Adaaya suggested as her wings shifted a bit, twitching to flick dust off of them.

"And one of the Geth Primes," Sanae added with a smile. "that way we can stay in contact as they are networked.

"One of.., you mean there are more?!" Tali asked in horror.

"Yes, though only a handful of primes as they are routing from the frigate. I came here on of theirs. It parked in another hanger."

"Is it really a good idea to split up like this though?" Garrus spoke up, his instincts telling him that something was off about the whole idea.

"Don't worry, it'll work!" Sanae said with a surprising amount of assurance. "and don't worry, with all of you, and four primes, plus the defenses they and the colonists set up, it shouldn't be that hard to defend the entryways!"

"I agree, let's go with that plan, it'll be fastest too as Adaaya and I have all of our equipment on us. Are you good to go, Nihlus?" Desolas asked as he turned to Nihlus.

"I'm good. I have all I need," Nihlus replied quickly. "You intend to leave right away?"

"The sooner we deal with the Batarians, the sooner we find out what Saren sent them here for," Desolas responded instantly.

"Perfect! EVA, you're coming with us, the other platforms will stay here and help defend the colony!" Sanae declared to the Geth platform. It only let out a short ping in understanding. "Good, then let's get going! And please don't let the colony fall!" Sanae declared as she turned and ran down the stairway, The Geth prime following suit.

Adaaya sighed and then looked at everyone with a mixed expression. "Alright you heard her. We're splitting here for this mission. Defense may be easy, but don't get complacent. We'll be back as soon as possible. Good luck!" She yelled as she, Desolas and Nihlus all followed down the stairs, quickly diapering from sight.

" . . . . Did we just get dumped?" Wrex asked after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Yes, but it's not unheard of," Kaiden said with a shrug. "Let's spread out and look around this colony. Something is very clearly wrong here, and I want to find out what it is!"

"Good plan. I'll go and talk to some of the colonists, see what I can find out," Garrus stated.

"I'll come with you. Anything to be away from the Geth," Tali stated as she followed him off.

In barely a minute Kaiden and Wrex had wandered off as well, leaving Ashley at the balcony staring out at the ruined planet. It felt, wrong, like something was still here, like-..

 **Can you hear me?**

Ashley felt her body grow cold, and her vision grow dull. "Yes." Then she blacked out.


End file.
